Star Trek: Orion II - Intrigue
by HighKnighthood
Summary: Captain Lindsey Lander was just getting used to her new command, when a secret mission pulled her away from the Orion. But her new mission is not what it seems. Soon Lindsey will find herself in a battle between a Romulan terrorist and the amoral shadow of the Federation: Section 31. The stakes? War with the Romulan Star Empire. Also featuring Jean-Luc Picard and Worf.
1. Chapter 1

The following story is a sequel to my previous story _Star Trek: Orion_. Both stories are set shortly after _Star Trek: Nemesis_. I take my description of Romulus in a post- _Nemesis_ era from the _Star Trek: Titan_ novels _Taking Wing_ and _The Red King._ This story may contradict other _Star Trek_ novels, as I've only read a few; but I tried to make it consistent will all the television series and movies. Please enjoy

* * *

Star Trek: Orion

Intrigue

 _Starfleet: the great instrument of exploration for the United Federation of Planets. Over the centuries Starfleet has explored strange new worlds, sought out new life and new civilizations, and boldly gone where no man has gone before._

 _But in its secondary role as the Federation's defense force, Starfleet has seen its share of combat, and even during a few dark days: war. Balancing these two roles, exploration and defense, has always been a challenge for Starfleet._

 _Most in the Federation believe that the use of violent force is only a valid option as a last resort. But there is a minority within the Federation who think otherwise._

* * *

Six years previous

 _First Officer's log; stardate 52035.6: With the our new Romulan allies, the Alpha Quadrant forces continue to have success against our Dominion enemies, pushing them back into Cardassian space. The USS_ Woodrow Wilson _and the rest of our task force are going to rendezvous with a fleet of Romulan Warbirds before launching a coordinated attack against a Jem'Hadar supply line._

 _The Romulans have proved to be extremely efficient allies, but I am still leery about working alongside them._

Commander Ser'rek Thrim stood on the bridge, staring at the stars as they flew by the viewscreen. His antennae were moving back and forth in nervous anticipation. It was as though the Andorian officer was in yellow alert, just as his ship.

"Commander, we are ten minutes from the rendezvous point. No sign of the Romulans."

Thrim smiled at the young human male at the operations console. Only a month ago the young man was a third year Academy cadet. But in this time of war many cadets were receiving early graduation and being pressed into service. "Ensign, I don't expect to find any sign of them until they want to reveal themselves. They keep their ships cloaked whenever they are in enemy territory. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they cloaked their ships in their own territory." Thrim regretted his last comment. It was unbecoming of a senior office to make disparaging remarks about any race, especially allies, in front of junior officers.

"Inform the Captain of our status. Maintain yellow alert. The Romulans are not the only ones who should employ caution. And keep scanning for Jem'Hadar or Cardassian ships."

A minute later, Captain Frederick Mayer came on the bridge; his presence being announced by a junior officer. "Captain on the bridge."

"Commander, what's our status?"

"Five minutes to rendezvous, Captain."

"Any sign of the Romulans?"

Thrim merely raised his right eyebrow and both antennae towards his human captain.

"I didn't think so," said the Captain. "Who would have thought it, Ser'rek?"

"Thought what?"

"Starfleet and the Romulans fighting side by side. Just a few years ago it felt like there was a cold war between us that could ignite at any moment."

"The Romulans are merely joining us to fight a common enemy," replied Thrim. "If we win this war, things between us and Romulus will probably go back to the way they were."

"Perhaps, but sometimes these kinds of things can lead to remarkable opportunities."

"Captain, your optimism never ceases to amaze me. In the midst of a war with the Dominion, you are able to see ah…what do you humans call it?...a silver lining?"

"I can't help it, Ser'rek. Why even this ship's name sake was an optimist. President Woodrow Wilson served his nation-state during a time of world war on Earth. After the war, he was instrumental in setting up a League of Nations, which was to serve as a peaceful cooperation on Earth."

"And you think we could have similar success with the Romulans?"

"Oh, I hope not!" Thrim gave his captain a confused look, which prompted the Captain to laugh. "Wilson's League of Nations was a failure. His own nation didn't even officially join it. And in less than thirty years Earth was plunged into a second World War which was worse than the first. A second attempt at uniting Earth was more successful, but it was only after our third and greatest World War that peace was truly accomplished. But Wilson's first attempt was a large step forward, a step towards peace on Earth and even, eventually, to the founding of the Federation. Of course, I don't have to tell you about that history. Andoria was there at the very beginnings of the Federation."

"Yes, it was. Perhaps, sometime, I will tell you of the Andorian history leading up to that great moment."

"Captain," said Lieutenant Melissa Haymore, the human helmswoman. "I am sorry to interrupt this history lesson, but we are about to arrive at the rendezvous."

"Good, Lieutenant. Prepare to drop to impulse."

"Yes, sir," replied the helmswoman in a carefree voice. Thrim watched the young woman as she returned her attention to the helm. Thrim found Andorian women physically more attractive than human women, but he still found Melissa Haymore's almost playful attitude encouraging. She was serious when she needed to be, but she had an endearing ability to lighten the mood when able. Thrim was grateful for the Starfleet regulation that prevented him from fraternizing with subordinates. It just might be saving him from a very awkward situation. Thrim attempted to dismiss his thoughts as the attractive human female worked the helm controls. "Dropping to impulse, Captain."

The stars came to a stop, and the viewscreen displayed empty space. "Any sign of our friends?" asked the Captain.

"Not yet, sir," said the ensign at operations.

"We're a minute early. Let's wait and see if they show up."

Five long minutes passed, and the crew became restless. So Thrim began issuing orders. "Ensign, scan for tachyon readings. If the Romulans are cloaked I want to find some sign of them. Lieutenant, do a long range scan. Maybe they are on route."

"I am picking up some tachyon readings, sir, but they are inconclusive."

"Do you think there are cloaked vessels out there, Ensign?" asked the Captain.

"I don't know, Captain. There may be any number of other expla…"

"I'm picking up ships on long range sensors!" shouted Lt. Haymore, no longer in a playful mood.

"Romulans?" asked Thrim.

But Lt. Haymore turned to him with a look of terror. "Jem'Hadar!"

"Red alert!" shouted the Captain. "All hands to battle stations! Alert the fleet! How many Jem'Hadar ships, Lieutenant?"

"Two, no three, no…" The young woman paused to look at her console. "I count twenty ships, at least. More, I think. This is no scouting party. It's a Dominion war fleet, and they're coming right for us from multiple directions."

"How long?"

"Thirty seconds!"

"Send a distress signal to Starfleet. And send a signal to the Romulans. If they are here, we need their help."

Suddenly the ship lurched. "Jem'Hadar warships are firing on us!" shouted the tactical officer.

"Return fire! Phasers and photon torpedoes!" ordered the Captain. "Evasive maneuvers, pattern delta!"

"Shields down to 40%!" shouted the ensign at operations. "Diverting power from…" The ensign's console blew up in his face.

"Commander, get to operations!"

"Yes, sir," shouted Thrim as he jumped to the upper level of the bridge.

"Signal the _Gallant_! We need assistance!"

"Sir, we've lost the _Gallant_!" answered Haymore from the helm. "They're dead in space."

"We must retreat, Captain!" urged Thrim.

"Agreed," said the Captain. "Lieutenant, make it happen."

"Warp drive is offline! We can't go to...Incoming Jem'Hadar fighter! Brace for impact!" shouted Lt. Haymore.

The whole bridge lurched, and Thrim was thrown over the operations console and down to the lower portion of the bridge. When he lifted his head, he saw a smearing of his own blue blood on the floor in front of him. He got to the helm and found Lt. Haymore lying on the floor; her head lay limp; her neck was clearly snapped.

"Captain! Haymore is dead. I'm taking the helm…Captain?"

Capt. Mayer slumped motionless in his chair, a piece of the ceiling debris lay next to him, and red human blood covered his head.

"Commander, the Jem'Hadar are pulling back. Looks like they done enough damage," said a young Bolian officer Thrim couldn't recognize at that moment.

"Causalities?"

"Indeterminate. Sick bay was hit. The Emergency Medical Hologram is reporting that all hands in sick bay were lost."

"Ship status?"

"Ahhhh…We have hull breaches on multiple decks. Weapons offline, shields offline, propulsion offline, main power offline. Emergency power is holding, as is life support, but, Commander, we're dead in space."

"Communications? Can we send a distress signal?"

"Subspace communications are down, but short range comm channels should still work." The young officer showed renewed panic. "Sir! The _Amerigo Vespucci_ is reporting an imminent warp core breach! They are only 200 meters off our port!"

Thrim tried working the helm. "The helm is not responding."

"The readings are spiking! Core breach on the _Amerigo_! She's gone! Brace for shockwave and debris!" shouted the ensign as he dove to the floor.

As the _Wilson_ lurched one more time, the horror of the moment overwhelmed Thrim. The _Amerigo_ was gone, and its entire crew was suddenly dead. The _Wilson_ itself was full of its dead. Indeed, there may be more dead than alive on the ship.

Thrim couldn't help but feel that in those few brief minutes everything had changed. There would be no more polite history conversations with the Capt. Mayer. No more wondering about the fittingness of racial discussions in front of subordinate ensigns. And no more mild fantasying about Melissa Haymore. They were all dead! And, in a way, Thrim himself had died. He would never again be the same Andorian.

And where were the Romulans?!

"Open a channel!" shouted Thrim angrily.

"To whom?"

"To whoever's out there."

"Channel open on all frequencies."

"This is Cmdr. Ser'rek Thrim of the Federation Starship _Woodrow Wilson_. We are extensively damaged and need assistance. Our sick bay was hit, and we have causalities. If there are any Federation or Romulan ships able to assist, we are in desperate need." There was no response.

"Romulan Warbirds! I know you are out there. If you couldn't help us fight, at least help us heal." Still nothing. Thrim pounded the helm. "Show yourselves, Romulan cowards! You are leaving us to die, you…backstabbing traitors! You don't care at all about your allies. You would see us all dead. Well, I hope you're happy! But know this…

"If I survive this war, my weapons will be trained on you!"

* * *

Chapter 1 - Present day (about one year after _Star Trek: Nemesis_ )

 _Captain's log; stardate 57257.5: It has been two months since I took command of the_ Orion-A _. We have been patrolling the Federation side of the Romulan Neutral Zone. It has been satisfying boring. There have been no major malfunctions during the_ Orion's _initial shakedown; there have been no dangerous encounters with spacial hazards or anomalies; and, most importantly, there have been no unfriendly encounters with Romulan warships. I will take boring any day._

 _Unfortunately, today will not be boring. Today, I have another one of my regular meetings with my supervising officer, Captain Jean-Luc Picard. And I must admit, I am quite nervous about it._

"Commander, the _Enterprise_ is ready to transport over our visitors," said Lieutenant Selina Chaput.

"Understood, Lieutenant," replied Henry. He stood up from his chair on the bridge and tapped the Starfleet emblem on his chest which doubled as a combadge. "Lieutenant Commander Hickensen to Captain Lander. Our guests are ready to come. Are you ready to receive them?"

Lindsey's voice responded from his combadge. "Almost. Meet me at holodeck one."

Holodeck one? Thought Henry, but he kept the question to himself. He looked over at Selina who merely shrugged her shoulders. "On my way, Captain. Lt. Mikkelson, you have the bridge."

It only took Henry a few moments to get to the holodeck. "Computer, is Capt. Lander still in the holodeck?"

"Affirmative, Capt. Lindsey Lander is in holodeck one," replied the _Orion's_ onboard computer.

Henry almost walked in, but stopped and asked another question. "What program is currently running?"

"Lander, vanity 001."

"Vanity?" asked Henry quietly to himself as he walked into the holodeck. Whatever he expected, it wasn't what he found. He was in what looked like an elaborate dressing room, with three large vertical mirrors. But the surprise was seeing two Lindsey's standing with their backs to him. "Captain?"

The two Lindsey's turned in unison to face him, but only one spoke, "Cmdr. Hickensen, come on in."

"You made a hologram of yourself?"

"Yeah," said Lindsey as she made another adjustment to her hair. "So much better than a mirror."

"I suppose so," said Henry as he ruffled his own blond hair. "You ready for your meeting?"

"No," said Lindsey flatly. "But it is here whether I am ready or not. It won't pay to keep Capt. Picard waiting." Lindsey turned and faced Henry. "What do you think; how do I look?"

Henry evaluated Lindsey's new hair style. It was slightly reminiscence of their former captain Theresa Taylor's long black braid. Lindsey had begun styling her long blond hair with a pair of small braids near her temples. The two braids continued behind her ears and with the rest of her hair formed one large braid which went down her neck. This new hairstyle made Lindsey look older and more mature; an improvement over her previous cadet style bun.

"You look like a Starfleet captain." What Henry didn't say was that the new look was downright attractive. Of course, he always found Lindsey attractive. Henry tried hard to push those thoughts out of his mind. It was not appropriate for a first officer to think that way of his captain.

"Good," said Lindsey. "Now, let's not keep the good captain waiting."

* * *

"Captain, the _Orion_ reports that it is ready to receive you."

"Excellent, Geordi. Energize." Capt. Picard braced himself for the familiar sensation of a transporter beam out. As it had hundreds of times before, the transporter disassembled Picard's molecules and reassembled him elsewhere. When the process was complete, Picard had another familiar sensation, the transporter room of a _Galaxy_ class starship. For a moment, he allowed his mind to travel back to the _Enterprise-D_. Picard wondered if the Klingon standing next to him felt the same way.

Picard looked down to the officers before him. One was a human male. He had two gold pips on his collar with a third pip hollowed in the center, indicated his rank of lieutenant commander. The other was a human female with the three solid gold pip rank of a full commander. "Capt. Lander, requesting permission to come aboard."

"Permission granted, Capt. Picard. Welcome on board the _Orion_ ," said the female officer. Despite having only the rank of commander, Lindsey Lander was indeed the assigned commanding officer of the USS _Orion_ NCC-26532-A. The old naval tradition made it appropriate to address her as Captain. She had earned this unique position by valiantly taking command of the origin _Orion_ following the death of her previous captain. She managed to safely remove both the ship and its crew from danger, despite being hunted by a rogue Romulan warbird.

But since Lander was still a very young and inexperienced officer, being only a twenty-nine-year-old human, her promotion to the full rank of captain had been delayed. Until Starfleet Command felt she was ready for such a rank, she would be required to report to a senior supervising captain. And, for the moment, that captain was Picard.

"Thank you, Captain," said Picard as he stepped down from the transporter platform. "And it is a pleasure to see you again, Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen."

"The pleasure is mine," said the other office. Lt. Cmdr. Henry Hickensen had also served on board the original _Orion_ when it was attacked by the Romulan Warbird. Currently he was the _Orion's_ first officer.

"And I trust you remember my first officer, Lt. Cmdr. Worf."

"Of course," replied Capt. Lander. "I do not believe you have been on board the _Orion_ before, Commander. If you would like, Mr. Hickensen could give you a tour."

"I would like that," replied the Klingon in his usual matter-of-fact voice.

"Good," said Picard. "While you do that, Capt. Lander and I will carry on with our meeting."

"Right this way, Capt. Picard; although, I assume you still know your way around a _Galaxy_ class starship." Lindsey Lander spoke with a smile on her face, but Picard noted a hint of nervousness to her voice. She was not nervous at their last meeting, but Picard had a guess as to which topic she was least looking forward to.

"If one commands such a ship for nearly nine years it does leave a lasting impression," said Picard as he and Lander walked down the corridors. "I won't lie to you, Captain. The _Orion_ does remind me of my previous command, the _Enterprise-D_."

"As opposed to the _Enterprise-E_? It must be strange, commanding a ship with the same name as a previous command," said Capt. Lander.

"I would have thought you of all people would understand. After all you commanded the original _Orion_ , and now you are the captain of the _Orion-A_."

"I was only the acting captain of the _Orion_."

"But you did have command of it. You do realize that puts the two of us in an elite camp."

"What you mean?"

"How many Starfleet captains can you name that have commanded two different ships by the same name?"

"Ah…well, besides yourself, Kirk is the only one I can think of. Oh, and your former first officer, Capt. Riker, has been acting captain of both your ships; if you're counting acting captains." answer Lander.

"I suppose you're right. You also forgot Capt. Benjamin Sisko, who commanded two ships by the name _Defiant_. But even so, there are not many others," stated Picard. As he looked over at Capt. Lander, Picard noticed her new hair style. The young woman's blond hair was pulled back and braided in an elegant style. Prior to this Lander had preferred her hair in a bun, as the Academy had recommended. Picard took it as a good sign that Lander was differentiating herself from her early Starfleet days, even in such a little way as hair style. It reminded Picard of when Will Riker grew out his beard.

"Speaking of new ships," Picard continued. "How has the shakedown of the _Orion_ been going?"

"I think it has gone very well. Although my acting chief engineer keeps telling me about all the things the manufactures got wrong."

"Theory doesn't always translate well into reality," said Picard. "When is your new chief engineer arriving?"

"We'll be picking up Lt. O'Hara next week at Starbase 54. I wish I could keep Lt. Kustov, but once the _Orion's_ shakedown is done, I'm afraid that he will request transfer." They arrived at the turbo lift. "Deck 1," requested Capt. Lander.

"Why do you say that?"

"He loved working on the original _Orion_. She was an old _Ambassador_ class ship. He took great joy in making the old components work with the new. He has implied that working on a brand new ship will eventually bore him."

"I see."

The turbo lift opened on to the bridge, and the two of them stepped out. As soon as they stepped off the lift an ensign announced. "Captains on the bridge."

"Very clever, Ensign," said Capt. Lander. "But I requested that formality to be dispensed."

"I just thought with Capt. Picard present…"

"It's alright, Ensign," said Picard. "All of us captains respect each others' polices when on board another's ship."

"But keep up your vigilance, Ensign. Just in case we ever host an admiral," added Capt. Lander.

"Of course, Captain."

"Capt. Picard, please come to my ready room."

"Lead the way, Captain." The two of them came to the Capt. Lander's ready room. Lander indicated a seat for Picard, but Picard choose to remain standing until Capt. Lander took her seat. If Picard remembered correctly, Miss. Lander's former captain and teacher, the late Admiral Taylor, was a fan of old fashion chivalry. And to Picard's observant eye, Capt. Lander emulated her hero. "Shall we begin right away?"

"Of course, sir. Where would you like to begin?"

Picard decided it was best to start where it was going to hurt the most. "How about personnel, senior staff perhaps?"

Picard could see Lander's adam's apple move up and down as she swallowed nervously. He was right. This was the topic that had her nervous. "Sounds good to me."

"We already chatted about your dilemma over your chief engineer. You solved that one remarkably. I am also impressed how you filled out much of your roster. Creating a crew for a brand new _Galaxy_ class starship is no small achievement. Trust me, I speak from experience."

"You are right, it is not," said Lander frankly. Her sigh told Picard just how difficult she was finding it. "The best source of officers I could find were those who have previously served on the former _Orion_. That ship had a reputation of turning not so great Academy cadets into fine officers. Many of its alumni and alumnae give greater credit to their years on the _Orion_ than to their years at the Academy. And a few of them were happy to return the favor by serving on the new _Orion_."

"A clever tactic, on your part."

"Thank you. But that is not to say that I haven't run into to difficulties." Lander's hand moved subconsciously up to her three rank pips on the collar of her uniform and, for a second, rubbed the void where the fourth pip should have been before she caught herself in the nervous tic. Picard was curious. Lander was not the ambitious type, so it seemed unlikely that she was impatient for that fourth captain's pip. "Nor is it to say that I don't still have a difficulty or two."

Picard decided the time for dancing around the topic was done. "Your report says that your acting second officer is Lieutenant Junior Grade Johnathan Mikkelson."

"Johnathan…Lt. Mikkelson is a fine officer, who's abilities and potential are suited for such an assignment. However, Starfleet command does not think he has enough experience for such an assignment or for a higher rank." Lander's hand started back towards her collar, but she stopped herself. "And frankly I agree with them. A few more years of service would do him good."

"So how is your search for another second officer going?"

Lander sighed. "Horribly. Right now, you are the captain of the _Enterprise_ , Starfleet's flagship. You probably have officers begging you for a posting on your ship. But perhaps you can remember when you were a junior captain, and just how hard it is to convince anyone to come onboard your ship. I have discovered that the world of Starfleet captains is a dog-eat-dog world."

"I do remember those days back on the _Stargazer_. But just to let you know, even the captain of the _Enterprise_ can have difficulties. My first officer, William Riker, received his own command, and he took a few of my officers with him. Mr. Wolf is my acting first officer, and I am trying to persuade him to take the post permanently, but he can be stubborn." Picard leaned forward and spoke directly to Lander. "This is part of your first test as a captain. If you can successfully staff a ship of this size, then you will have impressed me, as well as Starfleet Command."

Lander stared at the blank wall to Picard's right. "I suppose so. But I have an additional handicap that even you didn't have on the _Stargazer_." Picard's interest was piqued. Lander looked back to Picard and put her hand to her rank insignia, this time on purpose. "I am under-ranked."

"A challenge to be sure, but not an insurmountable one. I think."

"It's not just me who's under-ranked for her role. I have a massive _Galaxy_ class starship, and yet there are more gold pips on a smaller _Intrepid_ class ship that this one. The _Orion_ has always had a young crew complement, but in the past, it has always had a senior staff of experienced and veteran officers. Now its senior staff is young and inexperienced.

"Thus, I have been searching for a second officer with years of experience in Starfleet; not only for the sake of the ship's young crew, but also for the benefit of the ship's young captain." Lander pointed to herself. "The chief trouble I've run into is that anyone who meets those qualifications is either already a captain or a full rank commander."

"At which point they would out rank your first officer, Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen," finished Picard, nodding as he finally understood Capt. Lander's problem. "That certainly is a dilemma, and one not easily solved." Picard leaned back again but still held his intent gaze on Capt. Lander. "Has it occurred to you, Captain, that who you're really searching for is not a second officer, but a first officer?"

"And replace Henry as my second-in-command?" Capt. Lander looked back at the wall before bringing her eyes back to Picard. "Yes, it has occurred to me. Mr. Hickensen is a man I deeply trust. I know that he always has my back and that he is both willing and able to question my decisions and make sure that his captain is thinking everything through. I would truly hate to place someone over him.

"However, I have given it extensive thought." Picard sat back and waited for Capt. Lander to explain. "In fact, I considered it when I got a scouting report on your first officer."

"You considered Mr. Worf for the position?" asked Picard with slight surprise on his face.

"Briefly, that was before I found out that he was set on serving on the _Enterprise._ And it occurred to me that it might not be a good idea for me to poach officers from my supervising captain."

"You said it yourself; it's a dog-eat-dog world," replied Picard was a smirk. "Was Mr. Worf your only possible candidate?"

"No," said Capt. Lander with surprising earnestness. "I came across the perfect candidate for the _Orion's_ first officer. He had all the things on my 'need list' as well as everything on my 'wish list.' He is an over thirty year veteran of Starfleet; he was an instructor at the Academy; he has extensive experience as a tactical and security officer; he served under a diverse group of captains including Sulu, Akaar, and Janeway; and he had just finished an undercover assignment on Romulus, and thus familiar with Romulans…and he's a Vulcan," added Lander in an afterthought.

Picard knew of only one officer by that description. "You wanted Cmdr. Tuvok. He would have been a good choice. Curious, Captain, why does his being a Vulcan matter?"

"It's been a long time since a Vulcan served on the _Orion_ ," replied Lander, implying that it was some sort of inside joke.

"Why didn't you try to recruit him?"

"I did!" said Lander with an exasperated sigh. "I lost an entire night's sleep agonizing over the decision between him and Mr. Hickensen. I finally decided in the morning to extend my offer to Cmdr. Tuvok. His reply expressed his appreciation, but also stated that he had already accepted the second officer's position on the _Titan._ "

"Riker got to him first," nodded Picard as he thought about his former first officer.

"Dog-eat-dog. I offered him a first officer's position, but he turned me down for a second officer's position." Capt. Lander had a defeated look on her face. "I had decided to take a break in my search three days ago. Tomorrow I plan on restarting the search with a fresh mind and fresh effort. Any advice you have, I would gladly take."

Picard smiled. Contrary to what Capt. Lander may think, Picard was actually impressed. She was truly in a difficult place, but she was working hard to solve her dilemma. Any officer could have been pulled from anywhere in Starfleet to fill the empty position, but Capt. Lander knew what her specific needs were on the _Orion_ , and she was not afraid to pursue what she wanted.

"I might come up with an idea or two before we finish here, but perhaps we can move on to another topic. How about crew performance?"

Capt. Lander gave a sigh of relief and immediately launched into her reports. The meeting was long, but Picard found it refreshing to be able to assist a young captain, especially as Miss. Lander was frank about her struggles and direct in her problem solving. He knew that this woman had progressed far beyond the adventurous, carefree cadet she had been only six years ago. And she had all the potential to be a great Starfleet captain.

* * *

The windowless and dimly light conference room set the mood for the clandestine meeting. Sitting around the table were a number of men and women wearing military style uniforms. But unlike Starfleet uniforms these bore neither ranks nor color codes. These uniforms were made of solid black leather. The leather doubled in the front and was fastened on each shoulder. Agent Shephard sat comfortably in his chair as the panel was preparing to begin their discussion. A simple tone singled the beginning of the meeting, and everyone fell silent.

One agent stood up and began. "You are all aware of the events that took place above Romulus." The agent began to pace as a large viewscreen displayed information against the backdrop of the Romulan home world. Among the faces were a pair of Romulan women, a Reman military leader, a Klingon General, a Vulcan ambassador, and one Starfleet captain. "Capt. Riker, Ambassador Spock, and the Klingon's have created a unique peace arrangement between the Romulans and the Remans. Things are still tense there, but stability might be achieved. The Romulans are more or less united for the time being. A military coup might still happen, but I fear that the Romulan Star Empire may continue to survive."

"What about the war hawks?" asked a senior female agent. "Are they still a viable group? Could they destabilize the Empire?"

"I do not believe so," answered the agent leading the meeting. "Their leader was assassinated by the Tal Shiar. Both Praetor Tal'Aura and the military under Commander Donatra have denounced the rogue faction after one of their colonels attacked a Federation starship. Their political esteem is falling."

Agent Shepherd wondered if now was the best time to propose his idea, but the lead agent continued. "No, our best bet is still the Remans. If they escalate things we could see a civil war."

"How can we bring that about?" asked another agent.

"Perhaps such a war will inevitably occur. Romulans are highly illogical," stated Ta'Prim, a young female Vulcan agent.

"If a war would happen on its own, then we would not be here talking about it," replied the first agent. "Section 31 does not just observe, we act."

"The Klingons will keep their Reman allies in check."

"So, we remove the Klingons from the picture."

"Or we could just assassinate their new friend, Ambassador Spock. It should be easy to make it look like the Tal Shiar."

"Spock is harder to kill than you think. He has avoided the Tal Shiar for well over eleven years. That old Vulcan is slyer than we are."

Agent Shepherd decided this pointless brainstorming had gone on for long enough. It was time for a real plan. "No, a Romulan-Reman civil war is not our solution." All heads turned to him. Desiring to keep everyone's attention he stood up and began to walk around the table. "Now that we know the full might of Donatra's military, I think a Reman victory looks slim. And the Romulan set back would only be temporary. The empire will grow strong again, and when we are all old we will be gathered about this table again, discussing the same thing, but in a less ideal circumstance."

"I assume you have a plan, Agent Shepherd," said the head agent, slightly annoyed that Shepherd was taking over his meeting. Shepherd had completed his trek around the table and now stood beside the man leading the meeting.

"Yes, I do. The Remans can't defeat the Romulans, nor can the Klingons. But the Federation can."

"The Federation will never start a war with Romulus," objected one agent.

"And Starfleet will not fight a war," said another.

"On the contrary," replied Agent Shepherd with satisfaction. He couldn't have scripted their objections better. "Starfleet did fight a war against the Dominion. You are right, the Federation will never start a war, but they will fight one if one comes to them."

"So, we persuade the Romulans to start a war. How? Neither Tal'Aura nor Donatra would actually do so. Only a war hawk would do that, and we've already established that they are insignificant."

"There is still one significate war hawk out there. Computer, display information on Colonel Gaiath." The image of a Romulan military man appeared on screen along with the images of a destroyed Federation outpost and a crippled Federation starship.

"The Romulan who attacked the _Orion_?" asked the senior female agent.

"Yes, the not so good Colonel has been villainized on Romulus and exiled from his home. So, the disgraced military leader who is hated by his own people has turned to a life of terrorism. He and his small fleet of cloaked ships have escaped deep into Federation space. He is attacking Federation soft targets: a science station here, a supply post there."

"How does a Romulan terrorist in Federation space help us take down the Romulan Star Empire?" asked the lead agent.

Shepherd gladly took his opportunity to explain. "Starfleet Intelligence is just starting to react to Gaiath. Soon he will be a real nuance, and will need to be dealt with. If we are the ones to deal with him, then we will have the chance to tell whatever story we wish, including making these petty terrorist strikes look more like state sponsored attacks."

"And the Federation would have to respond," said the senior female agent with a smile. "It will look like the Romulans provoked the war."

"The problem is that we know the Romulan government has denounced Gaiath," said the lead agent. "Praetor Tal'Aura has labeled him a criminal and enemy of the state, and Commander Donatra has striped his rank."

"You of all people should know that when the truth doesn't fit our needs, we at Section 31…change it." Shepherd held back a smile. The lead agent was annoyed at him for usurping the meeting and was objecting for the sake of objecting. Such petty behavior would tip the board's favor Shepherd's way.

The elder female agent spoke again. "I like this plan. But there is one problem. This is too high profile for Section 31. If we do this, we need to make it look we were never involved."

"Agreed," said Shepherd. "We will cover our tracks with a face; a Starfleet face. Someone known well enough in recent months to get attention, and yet young and naïve enough for us to lead along as we will."

"Who do you have in mind?" asked the woman agent.

"Computer, who was the acting captain of the _Orion_ following the first attack against it, and what is her current assignment?"

"The acting captain was Lieutenant Lindsey Lander. Lander is currently a commander and the assigned captain of the _Orion-A_." The image of Lindsey Lander displayed on the screen, and Shepherd let the agents feast their eyes on the young, inexperienced Starfleet captain, and Section 31's new puppet.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _First Officer's log; stardate 57293.4: We continue to patrol the Romulan Neutral Zone with no incident. I find myself staring out the viewports towards the Neutral Zone as though I expect a warbird to decloak at any moment. The ship's counselor tells me that I am still suffering from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. I guess one does not recover from such an attack quickly._

 _But as nerve ranking as the quiet is, I am happy that we have not seen any action. Perhaps this sector really is calming down. Nevertheless, the Captain has informed me that she has received a secret assignment from Starfleet. My last secret assignment did not go so well._

Henry walked into the mess hall, and scanned the room. As first officer his chief responsibility was the crew, so he made it a point to get to know the crew. This was usually easy for him, as he had always been a social butterfly. But today his melancholy mood demanded that he sit with those he considered close friends. As he continued to look around Lt. Selina Chaput waved him to join her table. Henry smiled and immediately walked towards the group.

"Lieutenant Commander, please join us," said Selina. Seated with her were also Lts. Johnathan Mikkelson and Luke Ryan. All three of them had served on the previous _Orion_. In fact, these three were the emergency bridge crew that took over after the senior crew was killed. Henry moved towards the seat next to Ryan. Johnathan and Selina were seated next to each other with their chairs slid closer than normal. It was one of the few public displays of their relationship, but it was no secret on the _Orion_ that Johnathan and Selina were a couple. Fighting side by side and nearly dying together had formed a powerful bond between the two.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Henry maintained his public professionalism, but he knew that once he sat down at this table of friends the formalities would be dropped.

"Commander," spoke a tall well-built man with an apron. "Can I interest you in some potato soup and a Vulcan salad?"

"Of course, Chef," replied Henry to the ship's head cook, Richard Matthews. The security officer turned culinary expert had once again resigned his commission. Although he earned his war hero status once again in the defense of the old _Orion_ , he had no desire to continue combat work. Instead, he focused on being the ship's gourmet cook. Anyone who questioned his decision fell silent once they had tasted his cuisine.

As Chef Matthews left to retrieve Henry's soup and salad, Selina spoke, "I am glad you came to join us. We were just talking about how we missed the old _Orion._ "

"Oh?" asked Henry. "What was it about that old ship that you miss."

"It's not the ship we missed," answered Johnathan. "It's the crew relationships."

"We keep the memory of those we have lost in our hearts. They are never truly gone that way."

"I know," said Selina with a slight eye roll. Henry scolded himself for using such a platitude amongst friends. "But we were not taking about those who we've lost, but those who are still alive, yet we still feel we have lost."

"What do you mean?"

This time Ryan answered, "Take Vlad, for instance. Our new chief engineer came on board two weeks ago. She is now beginning to take over Engineering. There is a rumor that once she is comfortable in the role, Lt. Vladimir Kustov will request transfer." Ryan gave Henry a searching stare, but Henry kept his face neutral. As first officer, he had information that he couldn't prudently share. Confirming or denying a rumor about an officer transfer was one of them. Chef reappeared and dropped off Henry's soup and salad. Henry began to sip his hot soup, while casually waiting for Ryan to continue.

Ryan finally broke his gaze, apparently giving up on getting a reaction, but Selina spoke on, "It's not just Vlad. It's also…" Selina paused for a minute to look at Henry as though she wasn't sure if she could continue.

"Go on, Selina, I maybe first officer, but I am also your friend."

She nodded her head. "It's also the Captain." Henry's head came up this time. Selina looked a bit nervous. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with her. I know she is busy, has a lot of responsibilities, and is required to keep some professional distance. But I can't help but feel as though I am losing a friend. Lindsey used to be the spirit of the ship. She was the one who convinced me that I was a good officer, who supported me when I doubted myself. I just miss spending time with her."

Henry nodded his understanding, "I see what you mean. But it has not been easy for Lindsey to transition to her new role as captain. She is still trying to figure out her new relationship with the crew. I imagine in a couple more months you will see a little more of the old Lindsey surfacing in our Captain."

"You seem to have adjusted to your role nicely," commented Johnathan. "You take your job seriously, and yet I see you sitting down to eat with your fellow crewmen. The crew has taken a liking to you, Henry."

"He's just fortunate to have a likable personality," added Ryan.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I worked hard on this 'likable personality,'" joked Henry.

The table rewarded him with a laugh. Then Selina added, "But you do have the best of both worlds. As first officer, you are supposed to relate with the crew, but you also get to be with the Captain."

Henry's stomach turned with in him, but he hoped the others hadn't noticed. The fact that Selina and Johnathan were clearly holding hands under the table made it only worse. Indeed, Henry did spend a lot of time with the Captain, but he was finding it increasingly difficult. Henry and Lindsey had dated back in the Academy. It was far from serious and didn't survive the test of time. But after all they had been through together on the old _Orion_ , Henry began to feel a deeper and more powerful attraction to Lindsey than he had ever before. But since she was the captain and he was her subordinate, not only would a relationship be a bad idea, but it was also against Starfleet regulations. In addition, Henry had no idea if the feelings were mutual or if they belonged only to him.

Henry put on a good face, "Yeah, I do get to spend a lot of time with the Captain, and I can assure you, she is still the same person she has always been." Henry turned to Selina, "Perhaps just as she encouraged you when you were a new officer, she now needs your support as a new captain."

Selina smiled, "She already has it. Thank you, Henry. Pass all our greetings to the Captain."

"Of course."

* * *

Lieutenant senior grade Alivia O'Hara was vaguely aware that most of the heads turned towards her as Lt. Vladimir Kustov brought her down the corridors towards Engineering. She wished that she could attribute it to her status as the ship's new chief engineer, but she knew it was more likely that fact that she had the green skin of an Orion woman.

Lt. O'Hara had endured such reactions throughout her entire Starfleet career. It wasn't the staring that bothered her, but the thoughts that were most likely going through the minds of most of the men. The Orions were known to enslave their women and holding their sole purpose to be the pleasure of men. O'Hara had learned to suspect most men of either undressing her with their eyes or thinking less of her because of her race or her presumed past.

What they didn't know was that O'Hara had never been a slave. Her mother had escaped slavery long enough to give birth to her and entrust her to a Federation officer. She was then raised by loving adoptive parents in Ireland. She was top of all her classes, and easily earned her way into Starfleet Academy. She had served as an engineer on four different starships already in her career, excelling as she did. But now she was ready for the next stage of her career. It was time for her to step out as a leader. The question was whether or not everyone else was ready to take orders from an Orion 'slave girl.'

Finally, she and Lt. Kustov arrived at Engineering. The doors opened up and revealed the large room with the glowing warp core in the center. O'Hara took in the sight. "I'll never grow tired of this view." A few of the heads that had turned at her first entry returned to her in new wonder to hear an Orion speak with an Irish ascent.

"You would be surprised," said Lt. Kustov flatly in his Russian ascent. O'Hara found her predecessor odd. He seemed unimpressed by what was one of the best warp engines in Starfleet. The _Orion_ , being a new starship, had been outfitted with the newest equipment. O'Hara's first assignment had been on a _Galaxy_ class ship, but the _Orion_ had many improvements beyond that ship, even beyond the original _Galaxy_ and the _Enterprise-D_. Why Kustov didn't appreciate it was beyond O'Hara.

"This is the same warp core that sits in the Federation's flagship, the _Sovereign_ class _Enterprise-E_. Capable of warp 9.995, perhaps even faster. What's not to like?"

"First of all, I recommend never telling that tidbit to a bridge officer unless ordered. If you give them a top speed, they will find an excuse to use it," replied the acting chief engineer. "Secondly, I find it boring. But I am glad to see you excited. An engineer should love his or her ship. I once heard that Capt. Montgomery Scott got into a bar fight with some Klingons when they insulted the old _Enterprise_."

"I have no intention of getting into bar fights, Lieutenant," answered O'Hara, slightly annoyed by Lt. Kustov's casualness. "But I think I can learn to love this ship."

"Good, then I'll be leaving the _Orion_ in good hands."

O'Hara hated to admit it, but she was glad that Lt. Kustov was planning to transfer. Not only had he been the _Orion's_ acting chief engineer during its shake down, but he also took up the role on the previous _Orion_ when its chief engineer was killed. He had the respect of the engineering crew and the Captain. O'Hara was afraid that he would be a rival for the respect that should come to her as the chief engineer.

"I heard that the Captain asked you to be the chief engineer. Why did you turn her down?" It was the question that O'Hara had been meaning to ask Kustov since she arrived on the _Orion_ two weeks ago.

"Being the chief is no fun. Sure, you get to take care of your own ship." Kustov waved his hand to encompass the entire ship. "But you also have to take care of the engineering crew, and in some ways the bridge crew and the Captain as well. I much prefer the hands-on work to the meetings and the administration. Plus, this sleek, new ship practically takes care of itself. I did have a lot of work during the initial shakedown, but once we have worked out all of the kinks, it will be like babysitting an adult child."

"I see," replied O'Hara, although she didn't share his view point. "Where will you go after this?"

"I hope to be sent to _Deep Space Nine_. I would love to get my hands on that monstrosity of Cardassian and Starfleet technology. They have been going through engineers left and right since Chief O'Brien left. I submitted my resume to Chief of Operations Nog."

"I hope you get that assignment," said O'Hara, while thinking it was about the last place in the galaxy she would want to be.

At that moment, all the heads in Engineering turned to a new person. O'Hara also turned to see who it was, and was surprise to see Capt. Lander walking into Engineering. As soon as the woman saw O'Hara and Kustov she turned and walked up to them. "Lt. O'Hara, Lt. Kustov, I am glad I found you."

"Captain, the honor is ours," answered O'Hara as she stood at attention. "How may I be of service, sir?"

"At ease, Lieutenant. And as I've told you before, I prefer 'Ma'am' or 'Captain' not 'sir.' I actually came here to find Lt. Kustov." O'Hara found herself annoyed that the Captain was looking for Kustov and not her.

"What can I do for you, Captain?"

"I need a trust worthy transporter operator. Follow me to the transporter room."

"Sir," interjected O'Hara as the Captain turned to leave.

Capt. Lander half turned back to O'Hara and gave her a kind corrective look, "Lieutenant, I know old habits are hard to break, but I have told you a number of times about my preference. Are you not able to comply?"

"No, I can. I just find it inappropriate to refer to a superior with a diminutive title."

Capt. Lander now squared herself in front of O'Hara and gave her a stern and slightly angry look. "'Ma'am' is not a diminutive, Lieutenant! It commands as much respect as I say it does!"

"It's against Starfleet protocol."

"I am aware of that, and, frankly, I don't care. I am the Captain of this ship, and it is my prerogative to be addressed by my subordinates however I want, within reason; as it is yours with your Engineering crew." Despite the Captain's smaller than average stature, O'Hara now felt as though the woman was towering over her. "If Starfleet has a problem with how I observe minor protocols, they can take it up with me. If a subordinate has a problem he or she is welcome to discuss it with me…in private. Am I clear, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, s…, Ma'am." O'Hara scolded herself silently for giving a bad impression before her Captain. It wasn't her first impression, but she was still quite new.

But the Captain's expression softened. "Did you have something you wanted to say?"

O'Hara almost dropped her comment, but some instinct told her to continue. "As your chief engineer, I suggest that if you're looking for a trust worthy transporter operator you should take me."

The Captain looked at O'Hara with a thoughtful look. "I took you on as my chief engineer, it wouldn't be right for me not to trust you. Okay, Lieutenant, I will take your suggestion. Please follow me. Mr. Kustov, you may return to duty." The Captain spun on her heals and walked away. O'Hara followed.

As soon as they had left Engineering, O'Hara dared to speak again, "Captain, I want to apologize. I am not sure why I challenged you."

"Perhaps, you are dealing with the same dilemma," said the Captain with a kind smile. O'Hara was having a difficult time reconciling this nice version of Capt. Lander with the one that had just scolded her.

"No, I have always planned on insisting on 'sir' because I fear that if they address me as a woman they will think…"

"…Less of you?" asked the Captain. "I think Starfleet is beyond that."

"But when they see me…" O'Hara put her hand to her green face, "They see a slave girl."

The Captain nodded, "I see. I will tell you this much. Whether they call you 'sir' or 'ma'am' or even Alivia, the respect comes from you. Let them know that you're in charge, but don't smother them with that authority."

"Like you just did with me?"

Capt. Lander smiled, "Did it work?"

"Yes, Ma'am, it did. It doesn't sound easy."

"It's not. As Lt. Kustov will tell you, 'being the chief is no fun.' I had the good fortune of a great mentor, Capt. Taylor. But it is still a struggle. My advice to you is to pay attention to how Lt. Raklok respects you. The Klingon can be your acid test on how well you are doing."

O'Hara looked at Capt. Lander. Could she be the mentor to O'Hara in the way Adm. Taylor was to Lander? Lander was actually three years younger than O'Hara, but maybe there was a lot to learn from this woman.

Right in the middle of that thought, they arrived at the transporter room. Once they entered O'Hara noticed the only other person in the room was chief of security Lt. Cmdr. Ulysses Grant. She looked at Capt. Lander with an unspoken question. Capt. Lander merely smiled, "I did say, I needed someone I could trust."

* * *

Henry's combadge chirped just as he swallowed a spoonful of soup. "Capt. Lander to Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen. You haven't forgot our meeting, have you?"

"Of course not, Captain. I am on my way." Henry drank the rest of his soup directly from the bowl. After wiping his face with his napkin, he stood from his chair. "Got to run, duty calls. I will have to sit with you more often. Sometimes I too forget to spend time with friends." His friends all gave him a nod or a wave as he turned around.

Henry began to walk towards the bridge, but after going down a few corridors he turned and headed towards a transporter room. When he arrived, he founded Capt. Lander and Lt. Cmdr. Ulysses Francis Grant, a.k.a. Frank, standing at the foot of the platform. Behind the console was the new chief engineer Lt. Alivia O'Hara.

"Welcome, Henry."

"Thank you, Captain. Curious, why are we meeting in a transporter room?"

"You remember that secret assignment I told you about?"

"Yes. Please tell me we are not sending secret sensor packets to outpost Beta-Gamma."

Henry was rewarded with a laugh from his Captain. "No, not this time. We are currently orbiting above of a Federation colony along the Neutral Zone."

"Yes," said Henry. He recognized that Lindsey was leading him towards a surprise. "It was part of our schedule."

"That is not an accident. Although I only found out last month from Capt. Picard what our true reason for being here is."

"And what is that?"

"There is a V.I.P. planet side. He was able to slip over the Neutral Zone and is waiting for us here."

"How did he do that?"

"I wasn't told. In fact, I don't think Starfleet knows how this man moves around. But the important thing is that his presence on board our ship is to be kept secret. Make sure to seal all records of this with you command codes, even your log entries."

"Okay. Who are we talking about?"

"Captain, our passenger reports that he is ready to beam up," said Lt. O'Hara. Although Henry knew the woman's backstory, he still found it weird to hear an Orion speaking in an Irish accent.

"Thank you, Lieutenant, energize," replied the Captain.

Henry watched as the figure materialized on the platform. When the transporter's white energy disappeared, Henry felt his eyes grow wide. Standing on the platform was an aged Vulcan male. Henry was still trying to figure out if this man was who Henry thought he was when he spoke.

"I am Spock, requesting permission to come aboard, Capt. Lander."

"Permission granted, Ambassador Spock."

"I think the title Ambassador is not quite appropriate anymore," said the famous Vulcan as he stepped down from the transporter platform.

"On the contrary, the Federation diplomatic council has reinstated the title. They were impressed with the aid you gave Capt. Riker in settling the affair above Romulus."

Spock gave the Captain a raise of his eye brow. "I see. I only hope that they are equally impressed with my efforts in Romulan-Vulcan reunification."

"For what it is worth, Ambassador, so do I," said the Lindsey. "May I introduce you to my executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Henry Hickensen."

"A pleasure to meet you, Commander." Spock extended his hand in the customary human greeting.

Henry shook the Vulcan's hand, "The pleasure is mine."

Lindsey spoke again. "We extend to you our finest welcome here on the _Orion_. Unfortunately, the secret nature of your stay will hinder that in some respects."

"A logical necessity," answered the Vulcan. "However, I suspect your welcome will be sufficient."

"Let us get you settled in your quarters. As walking you down the corridors would defeat the purpose of secrecy, I'll have to ask you to step back on to the platform."

"Understood, Captain." The Ambassador stepped back on to the platform. Lindsey indicated with her head that Henry should join them.

When the three of them were ready, Lindsey told O'Hara, "Energize." Henry was engulfed with the white beam of the transporter, and rematerialized in the _Orion's_ V.I.P. quarters. Many of its nice art features were removed, and replaced with a few pieces of Vulcan art. It had a stoic yet meditative feel to it. "I hope these quarters will be sufficient for your needs."

"They will be, Captain."

"Our rendezvous with the _Enterprise_ will be in five days. Capt. Picard will be expecting you. In the meantime, there is a secure combadge on the desk. If there is anything you need, give me or Mr. Hickensen a call."

Spock gave the Captain an appreciative nodded. "I thank you, Captain, for assisting me. Now if you would not mind, it has been sometime since I meditated."

"I understand," said the Captain. Then she tapped her combadge. "Transporter room. We're ready to return. Energize."

* * *

Lindsey and Henry returned to the bridge without a word spoken about Spock. Lindsey sat in her captain's chair and began issuing orders. Soon the _Orion_ broke orbit and proceeded to its next stop. Lindsey knew that Henry would want answers as to their secret mission of transporting Ambassador Spock. Lindsey admitted to herself that she had withheld the information for comedic purposes, and the look on Henry's face when he saw the famous Vulcan was worth it.

But now that the _Orion_ was at warp, and Lindsey could almost feel her first officer's impatience. "Lieutenant, you have the bridge. Commander, join me in my ready room."

"Yes, Captain," came Henry's eager reply, and he followed her to the office just off the portside of the bridge. Lindsey circled behind her desk and sat down as Henry sat across from her.

"Well?"

"Well?!"

"What do you think?"

"Spock!" Henry's built up energy finally released. "The famous science officer and second in command of the original _Enterprise_ is here on the _Orion_! I remember when I thought Chef was the greatest celebrity I would ever meet. Now we have people like Spock and Picard on board. Perhaps the _Orion_ is moving up in the world."

"Technically, Archer's NX-01 was the original _Enterprise._ "

"Technically," replied Henry with a hint of annoyance. "There were many vessels with the name Enterprise even before the NX-01; even before Starfleet. You know what I meant."

Lindsey smiled as she bantered with her old friend. But it felt empty. Something about Henry was different. His behavior around her had changed since she had become Captain. She had noticed it with other officers as well. It was as though her captaincy had become an obstacle to friendship. Capt. Taylor, Lindsey's predecessor on the old _Orion_ , seemed to have figured out the right balance. But thus far it had eluded her. She had, however, hoped that she could still have her first officer as a friend. Perhaps Picard would have advice about this.

"I am sorry to inform you, but Spock has not come to us because the _Orion_ is 'moving up' as you put it. It is because the _Orion_ is still rather low profile. If the _Enterprise_ had come to pick up Spock, that would have been suspicious."

"But the _Orion_ makes regular stops along the Neutral Zone all the time, as well as regular rendezvouses with the _Enterprise_ ," said Henry as he put the pieces together.

"Making us the ideal, low key transport ship."

"Last I heard, Spock was on Romulus. How did he get to that planet? And where is he going?"

"To your first question, I have no idea how he got there. I was merely told where to find him; not how he got there. As for your second question, I wasn't given access to that information either. All I know is that we are to bring him to the _Enterprise._ Secret assignments are not all that fun. We played a very small role in a much bigger game."

"All that being said, as your first officer I would like to be in on the next secret assignment."

Henry's tone indicated that he was actually upset. Lindsey felt bad that her joke was taken wrongly. She decided not to make that mistake again. "I am sorry for not including you. Next time I will bring you in the loop, I promise."

"Capt. Lander," came the voice of one the junior communications officers. "We have an incoming message from the _Enterprise._ It comes on a Starfleet priority signal."

"Put it through to my ready room," said Lindsey. She indicated to Henry that he should come around to see the viewscreen. "Looks like I get to include you sooner than I thought." Henry walked around her desk and stood behind her. "I imagine this is about Spock."

The image of Capt. Picard appeared on screen. "Capt. Lander, it is good to see you again."

"And you as well, Capt. Picard. Although I admit this is a bit of a surprise to hear from you so soon on a priority channel."

"Is this channel secure on your end?"

"Yes, I anticipated that request. Is it alright if my first officer listens in?"

"Yes, I would have requested his presence."

"What is the occasion of this call?" asked Lindsey.

"Starfleet has a mission for you, Captain."

"Another one? We haven't finished the last assignment you gave us. Why can't this wait until our rendezvous?"

Picard paused for a second, as though searching for an answer; which Lindsey thought was odd. But he responded normally. "Because this can't wait. Your first officer can handle the previous assignment."

"He can't if the _Orion_ is busy."

"This mission is not for the _Orion_ ; it is for you Miss. Lander."

"Me? Are you saying that I am being taken off the _Orion_?"

"Only temporarily. A runabout from Starfleet Intelligence will rendezvous with you tomorrow."

"Captain, you of all people should understand that I am extremely reluctant to leave my ship."

"I do understand. Unfortunately, this is an order from Starfleet. It is out of my hands."

"Can you at least tell us a bit about this mission?" said Henry.

"No, not over even this secure channel. Starfleet Intelligence is being very quiet about this. You will learn more once the runabout has taken you to your destination."

"Which is where?" asked Lindsey, truly confused. Her only dealings with Starfleet Intelligence was a short debriefing after she brought the old _Orion_ back to space dock. But something didn't seem right.

"Again, I can't say. Nor do I even know."

"With all due respect, Capt. Picard," began Henry. "Letting my captain go on some mysterious mission without any idea of where, what, or why goes against everything instinct I have as a first officer."

"Mr. Hickensen, you have only been a first officer for a couple of months," spoke Picard in an angry voice. "You will soon learn that service in Starfleet asks a lot of its officers."

Henry looked taken aback by Picard's rebuke, and frankly so was Lindsey. But she could see Picard on the viewscreen give a big sigh. Even famous captains must have bad days, thought Lindsey. "Captain, are you sure this can't wait until our rendezvous? I would like to talk to you about this in person."

"That is not possible, and honestly, it would not help. I know very little about this. Starfleet Intelligence likes to compartmentalize."

"I see." Lindsey paused in thought, but realized that she had no choice in the matter. "Okay, we will rendezvous with this runabout, and I will transfer aboard." Lindsey could hear Henry sigh heavily. He clearly wasn't liking it.

"Good. Don't worry about setting up a rendezvous. The runabout will find you. Picard, out."

* * *

The next day Lindsey was sitting in her captain's chair. Lindsey had occupied her predecessor's chair for about a month on the old _Orion_ , but Capt. Taylor had been a slightly taller woman than Lindsey, and Lindsey had always felt small in that chair. The captain's chair on the _Orion-A_ had been custom designed for Lindsey. Her back leaned comfortably on the cushioned back rest and her feet were comfortably on the ground. But today Lindsey found little comfort in it. Somehow, knowing that she was leaving the _Orion_ made everything uncomfortable.

"Captain, there is a ship coming up behind us at high warp," said Lt. Selina Chaput. "It's a Federation ship, and they're hailing us." Selina looked in confusion towards Lindsey.

"On screen."

"It's audio only," reported Selina even more confused.

Lindsey stole a glance over to Henry. The look on his face clearly said he wasn't happy. "Patch it through."

"Capt. Lander, this is the Federation runabout _Yenisei_. We are ready for you."

"This is Capt. Lander. I will be with you in a minute." Lindsey turned to the helm. "Lt. Ryan, full stop." The _Orion_ came to a halt in empty space. "Put the runabout on screen."

The image of the runabout came on the viewscreen. "It's flying below us," noted Henry. "There are no crew viewports down there," he added within only her hearing.

Lindsey reluctantly stood from her chair. Selina and the entire bridge crew were giving her strange looks. "Starfleet has an assignment for me. I will be back as soon as I am able. I expect you all to follow Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen as though he were the captain. Understood?"

A chorus of subdued "Yes, Ma'am's" could be heard. Lindsey nodded her head in respect and then walked back towards the turbo lift.

It was only after the lift doors shut that Lindsey noticed that Henry had followed her. "You should be on the bridge, Commander."

"No, I should be with my captain. In fact, I think I should be on that runabout with you."

"No, your job is to take care of the _Orion_ and to keep my captain's chair warm."

"I am just not comfortable with this, Lindsey."

Lindsey had noticed Henry's use of her first name. He hadn't done that in a long time. "I know, Henry. I am not comfortable with it either. But the sooner I can get this secret mission done, the sooner I can return." The lift stopped, and the two walked in silence to the transporter room.

When they arrived, Lindsey gave orders. "Ensign, communicate with the runabout _Yenisei_ and prepare to beam me over to their ship." Lindsey stepped on to the platform and turned around. Henry was standing there like he was at a funeral. "I know the _Orion_ is in good hands, Commander."

"Come back safely," was all that Henry could say.

The ensign gave Lindsey a nod, and she said, "Energize."

* * *

Two days of traveling in the runabout _Yenisei_ had Lindsey aching for open spaces, even if it was merely a holodeck. Her two companions on the ship were no help. The human male and female, both wearing the yellow uniforms of security personnel, hardly talked to Lindsey. In fact, they hardly talked to each other. Every one of Lindsey's attempts at small talk failed miserably.

"Commander, we are nearing our destination," came the helmsman's voice over Lindsey's combadge.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Lindsey got up off her bunk and preceded to the cockpit. She took a seat at a science counsel behind the woman working the navigator's position. "Where are we?"

"Middle of nowhere," said the woman. "This is our rendezvous."

"Rendezvous with what?"

"Ship dropping out of warp," reported the woman to her partner, completely ignoring Lindsey. Lindsey stood up and looked out the viewport to see the Federation starship arrive. She immediately recognized it as a small _Nova_ class starship. That class was primary used for short range scientific work within known Federation territory.

Before Lindsey could ask a question, the helmsman gave her an order. "Go to the transporter pad and await beam out."

Lindsey merely stood her place until she had the man's attention. "Lieutenant, is that how you in Starfleet Intelligence address your senior officers?" Normally Lindsey would let it slide, but she was not exactly pleased with these two.

"No, sir. My apologies. If you would please, Commander, the _Enquiry_ would like to beam you over."

"Of course, Lieutenant." Lindsey walked to the back of the cockpit where there was a small transporter pad. "Ener…" she was interrupted by the transported beam. Good riddens, she thought to herself, and silently hope the crew of this new ship were more amiable. And more forthcoming with her mysterious assignment.

Soon she found herself standing before a group of officers in a transporter room. They were mostly humans and mostly wearing yellow security uniforms. But one of them was a female Vulcan with a blue science uniform and another was an Andorian male with a red command uniform. "Cmdr. Lindsey Lander, requesting permission to come aboard."

An officer in a yellow uniform of Starfleet Intelligence answered her. "Of course. Welcome, Capt. Lander to the _Enquiry_. I hope your travel has been pleasant. I am Cmdr. Jackson Shepherd, the captain of this ship, for the time being."

Lindsey stepped down from the platform. "Capt. Shepherd, you had me pulled off my ship. It would be more appropriate to address me by my rank, 'Commander,' than as captain."

"I suppose so. For myself I struggle getting use to the title 'Captain.' It doesn't seem to fit an intelligence officer such as myself."

"I've never heard of an intelligence officer being given a command before." Lindsey pointed to Shepherd's yellow uniform.

Shepherd simply smiled. "There are a lot of things about Starfleet Intelligence you have never heard before. However, you are right. This is a rare situation."

"I don't care to learn much about Starfleet Intelligence. But I would like to know more about this 'rare situation.' I am growing rather annoyed at people keeping me in the dark."

"Annoyance is an occupational hazard for us intelligence officers. We will have a full briefing in the morning with all the details. But I can tell you a bit right now."

"Please do, sir."

"Does the name 'Gaiath' mean anything to you?"

Lindsey was suddenly filled with anger, rage, and horror all at once; as a flood of memories came back to her. Gaiath! The Romulan colonel who had attacked the previous _Orion_ , killing Capt. Taylor and the senior crew, and leaving the crippled ship in Lindsey's inexperienced hands. For a month, she evaded Gaiath as he tried to hunt her down and destroy her ship and crew. Although Lindsey succeeded in getting the _Orion_ back to safety, it was not before one hundred and thirty-two crew members were killed, a number that would forever be burned into Lindsey's memory.

"Yes, I remember him," was all that Lindsey could choke out of her throat. She saw Shepherd give her a somber smile. He spoke to her in a still but firm voice.

"I need your help to take him down."

* * *

The _Orion_ arrived at the rendezvous on schedule. The _Enterprise_ was already waiting for them. Henry stood up from the captain's chair, which felt odd to him on more levels than just its slightly smaller size. The image of Capt. Picard replaced the _Enterprise_ on screen.

"Cmdr. Hickensen!" said Picard with slight surprise, which puzzled Henry. "I assume everything is ready."

"Yes, Capt. Picard. We will be over shortly."

"Good, _Enterprise_ , out."

"Lt. Mikkelson, you have the bridge," said Henry. In a few short minutes Henry was at the transporter room. "Lt. O'Hara, are you ready?"

"Yes, Commander."

Henry tapped his combadge. "Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen to Ambassador Spock. Are you ready?"

"I am ready, Commander," replied the Vulcan's voice. Henry nodded to O'Hara, and a second later Spock was on the platform. Henry walked up and joined the Ambassador.

"Will not the Captain be joining us?" asked Spock.

"No," replied Henry. "Everything will be made clear on the _Enterprise_. I hope." Henry's last two words were under his breath, but if the stoic Vulcan heard them, he didn't react.

"The _Enterprise_ reports they are ready."

"Energize." A short transporter second later and Henry with his Vulcan guest were on board the _Enterprise-E_. Henry allowed himself half a second to take it in before turning to the officers in front of him. These included Capt. Picard, Lt. Cmdr. Worf, and a man with what looked to be artificial eyes, whom Henry concluded must be Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge. "Lt. Cmdr. Henry Hickensen and Ambassador Spock, requesting permission to come aboard."

"Of course, you are both welcome," answered Capt. Picard. Both Henry and Spock stepped down to Picard's level. "It is good to see you again, Ambassador. We were all concerned for you during Shinzon's coup d'état." Picard turned towards Henry. "I am puzzled, Commander, why is your captain not here. Is she not well?"

Henry looked seriously at Picard. "You know why she's not here, Captain. She is on assignment."

"What assignment?" said Picard in a suddenly serious voice. "And why wasn't I informed?"

"But…you gave her the assignment, Captain," said Henry in a confused and increasingly worried voice. "In the subspace transmission five days ago."

"Mr. Hickensen," Picard's face and voice now conveyed concern. "I have not sent any subspace transmissions to the _Orion_ in the last month."

Henry felt the strength in his legs weaken beneath him. He felt a sickness to his stomach and feared that he wouldn't be able to hold down his lunch. All his emotions seemed to boil over at the same time: anger at his failure as a first officer to protect his captain, concern for the crew of the _Orion_ , and above all fear over the fate of his friend.

"Where is my Captain?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _Begin Special Assignment Log, Commander Lindsey Lander; stardate 57299.2: Today I will finally be briefed on my secret assignment. I am excited to be doing something special to aid the Federation; and I am hopeful that, if indeed we are bringing Gaiath to justice, I can bring closure to the many he killed on the old_ Orion _._

 _But there is still something that doesn't sit right about this. Maybe I am just missing the_ Orion _and its crew._

Lindsey sat in the board room of the _Enquiry_. It was small compared to the _Orion_ but sufficient. Lindsey was seated at Captain Shepherd's right, who was at the head of the table. Across from her was the Andorian lieutenant commander, and next to him was a female Vulcan lieutenant. Seated further down the table were other Starfleet Intelligence officers, all humans.

Cmdr. Shepherd cleared his throat and stood. "First, for the sake of our new shipmate, we should begin with introductions. Everyone, this is Commander Lindsey Lander, Captain of the USS _Orion-A_. Here on the _Enquiry_ she will be my first officer." Alarmed, Lindsey gave Shepherd a confused look, but before she could object he responded. "Don't you worry, Commander, the correct title would be 'acting first officer.' We are not steeling you from your ship. Technically none of us here are assigned to the _Enquiry_ , except on a provisional basis. But for ease, let us drop the 'acting' portion of our titles." Lindsey, somewhat relieved, gave him a nod of understanding.

"I am Commander Jackson Shepherd, lead officer on this assignment and 'acting' captain of the _Enquiry._ " Pointing to the Andorian, Shepherd continued, "This is Lieutenant Commander Ser'rek Thrim. He has the dual role of head tactical officer and chief of security. He is also the _Enquiry's_ second officer." Lindsey gave the Andorian a nod of welcome, which he acknowledged but immediately returned to his cold and perhaps angry glare into empty space. Something about him gave Lindsey the shivers. She could almost see the emotions boiling beneath his blue skin.

Continuing down the line, Shepherd indicated the Vulcan woman. "This is Lieutenant Ta'Prim. She is our science officer." It was always hard for Lindsey to gage a Vulcan's age, but Ta'Prim seemed young to her. This of course still meant that she was much older than Lindsey's twenty-nine years. Yet hidden under that stoic shell seemed to be a youthful spirit. For some reason, Lindsey's mind went to those Vulcans who had joined the Maquis. Such Vulcans had insisted that the terrorist organization was logical and pursued it was surprising earnest. Was Ta'Prim of a similar mindset?

Shepherd introduced the four other officers at the table, and Lindsey noted each one of them. They were all human and filled the other essential positions on the ship; chief medical officer, chief engineer, the helmsman, and the operations officer.

"And finally, we have Ensign Kyle Miller," said Shepherd as he introduced the final person at the table. "He is our intelligence and information gatherer." Lindsey looked at the young boy who must have been only twenty years old or younger. Lindsey concluded that he must have been some kind of genius to be granted both an early Academy entrance and graduation.

"Now that we know each other let us discuss the subject of our 'enquiry,'" Shepherd smiled as he made the pun on the ship's name. The image of a Romulan colonel appeared on the conference room viewscreen. Lindsey recognized it immediately as the man responsible for the deaths of many of her friends and mentors. "Cassius Gaiath, is the menace that we seek. He started his promising career in the Romulan military." An image of a young Gaiath in Romulan military uniform appeared. "He quickly climbed the ladder to a first officer's position and the rank of subcommander. But there his military career plateaued. An ambitious Romulan in that situation has two options, politics or espionage. So, Gaiath joined the Tal Shiar, the Romulan spy organization. There he became a Colonel."

Shepherd continued his biography of Gaiath, "During the Dominion War, he appears to have been opposed to an alliance with the Federation and the Klingons. But once the Romulan leaders joined the Alpha Quadrant Alliance, he continued to be a loyal son of the Empire, and fought alongside Federation and Klingon forces against the Dominion." Lindsey noticed Thrim clenching his fists, and a there was a spark of fire in his eyes. Lindsey began to wonder what had happened to the Andorian during the Dominion War.

"Sometime after the Dominion War, Gaiath made the claim that there were Federation sympathizers in the Tal Shiar, and thus he left the spies and entered politics, aligning himself with the anti-Federation group called the war hawks, led by Senator Pardek. This group survived both the coup d'etat and the short reign of Praetor Shinzon. But Gaiath, always the military man, focused more on his own expeditions than senate chamber debates." Shepherd then displayed an image of a small Federation outpost and an _Ambassador_ class ship. "Miss. Lander, would you care to explain the events that took place at outpost Beta-Gamma and the _Orion's_ encounters with Gaiath?"

"It would be my honor, Captain." Lindsey stood up next to the viewscreen. "Outpost Beta-Gamma was a Federation science station near the Neutral Zone. It was also a secret sensor post, designed to detect cloaked Romulan ships traveling through Neutral Zone. The _Orion_ was to bring them a new sensor package. Due to a mistake the _Orion_ had to return to Beta-Gamma to complete delivery. There they found Colonel Gaiath's Warbird, the _Accipiter_ , and his ground forces attacking Beta-Gamma. The _Orion_ engaged in battle with the _Accipiter_ but suffered massive causalities, including its captain and senior staff. However, the _Orion_ escaped. It was confronted by the _Accipiter_ twice more, resulting in severe damage to the _Orion_. The _Accipiter_ was itself destroyed, but there is strong reason to believe that Gaiath was no longer aboard."

"What our modest Commander here is not saying," spoke Shepherd, "is that she was the acting captain that brought the _Orion_ safely home. It is for this reason that we have brought her on board this assignment. She has done battle with Gaiath on two occasions, which is more than any other Federation captain can say." Shepherd turned to Lindsey, "Tell me, Commander, what do you think of Gaiath's military competence?"

"He is very competent. No doubt due to his experience in the Dominion War. His tactics, however, are conventual Romulan tactics. He leans very heavily on his cloaking ability, and has a strong preference for point blank range surprise attacks. It was in exposing this weakness that the _Orion_ was able to turn the surprise back on him."

"It seems as though Gaiath hasn't changed much recently," said Capt. Shepherd.

"What do you mean?" asked Lindsey. Shepherd knew something about her former foe, and Lindsey wanted to hear it. "What has Gaiath been up to?".

Shepherd advanced to the next slide of his presentation. "His defeat in the _Orion_ incident, along with the assassination of Senator Pardek has caused Gaiath and his political allies to lose influence on Romulus. He has probably burned all his bridges with the Tal'Shair. Praetor Tal'Aura has declared him an enemy of the Empire. And Commander Donatra has stripped him of his rank and has put a price on his head. She had even offered to turn him over to the Federation if she takes him alive."

Shepherd continued, "Since Gaiath is no longer welcome in Romulan space, he has done the only thing a Federation-hating, war hawk can do. He has crossed the Neutral Zone and escaped deep into Federation space. Now he sits, hiding behind his cloak, until he strikes at some soft Federation target."

Lindsey couldn't hide her surprise. "I had heard of the mysterious attacks, but I had no idea it was Gaiath."

"Neither did we, until about a week ago. Even now it is not a certain fact that it is Gaiath leading this small fleet of warbirds, but we have enough evidence to bring you on board," said Shepherd.

"Fleet? How many ships are we talking about?"

"Six or seven warbirds," stated Lt. Ta'Prim from her seat. "However, none of them are as big or powerful as the _Accipiter_ was. That ship appears to have been his flagship, and it was good that the _Orion_ and the _Enterprise_ destroyed it."

"How does he keep all those ships supplied?" asked Lindsey.

"He has done some raiding of colonies and freighters," answered Ta'Prim. "But he must have some source of technical goods for the upkeep of his starships. There is an abundance of Romulan parts on the black market, salvaged from Dominion War battle fields. We have yet to find any leads on Gaiath's black market suppliers."

"But that is irrelevant. We have another way to find Gaiath. Lt. Ta'Prim, care to explain?" said Shepherd as he turned to the Vulcan woman.

"Of course," replied the Vulcan in a stoic voice as she stood up perfectly straight and formal. "Gaiath has in the last four weeks been leading surprise attacks against soft Federation targets: Federation science outposts, small Starfleet research vessels; none of which are equipped to defend themselves against him. He does so in a seemingly random fashion across multiple sectors, but even Romulans are susceptible to some degree of logic."

"You found a pattern," guessed Lindsey.

"Indeed," replied the Vulcan. "And if he keeps with his pattern we can predict his next actions."

"You know where he will strike next?"

"Even better," replied Shepherd. "We think we can choose his next target."

"What target?"

"Us," said Shepherd with his arms open. "The _Enquiry_ will be his next target. For the past four days we've been 'studying' a nearby nebula. Gaiath will certainly be aware of our presence. We will be irresistible bait."

"How do you know he will attack us?"

"We have done the probability calculations," answered the Vulcan woman with a 'you wouldn't understand' tone of voice. Lindsey tried not to allow this arrogance to annoy her.

"Will the _Enquiry_ be able to handle Gaiath's ships?"

Shepherd smiled, "Gaiath's MO is to attack with only one ship, thinking he is hiding his numbers. But as for the _Enquiry,_ perhaps you would like to explain, Lieutenant Commander." Shepherd turned to the Andorian.

Lt. Cmdr. Thrim stood up. "The _Enquiry_ only looks like a science vessel. She has, in fact, been refitted with enough weaponry and defensive capabilities to be a decent warship." Thrim walked up to the viewscreen and tapped a button. The image of the _Nova_ class ship appeared. "We have four forward torpedo tubes, as well as a pair of versatile ventral tubes. We also have four aft tubes, for a total of ten torpedo tubes. We also have six different phaser arrays which can cover the ship from any direction. Finally, we are equipped with a state of the art deflector dish and shielding system."

Lindsey's eyes widen. "This ship is better armed than the old _Orion_. How about sensors? Can we detect a cloaked ship?"

"I'm glad you asked, Commander," said Shepherd. "Mr. Thrim, please continue."

"We have taken the sensor technology that your crew put together on the old _Orion_ and combined it with the sensor nets that the _Titan_ developed on its recent mission to Romulus. We took the best of both. In addition, we disguised it all to look like science sensors. When Gaiath comes he will think we are studying the nebula, not watching his every move." Thrim's voice took on a deep growl. "The Romulans won't stand a chance this time."

Lindsey was startled by the sudden hardness in Thrim's voice. He clearly had a grudge against the Romulans, but she didn't know what it was. Before she could speculate further, Shepherd spoke again.

"Our objective, however, is not the destruction of Gaiath. We are intelligence operatives; we are here to gather information. We know of Gaiath's fleet of small warbirds, but we don't know is whether or not he has greater resources. Does he have more ships? Are the war hawks more powerful than we think? Do they have more sympathizers back on Romulus, or even in the military? These are the questions that need answers."

"The military?" asked Lindsey. "Capt. Riker never reported that Donatra might have anti-Federation leanings. Quite the opposite in fact," said Lindsey.

"I see you keep up on your Romulan politics, Commander," said Shepherd. "And you read our reports."

"I do patrol near the Neutral Zone," said Lindsey as she stated the obvious.

"You're right, of course. But we have learned never to take a Romulan at his or her word. Peace with Romulus may happen one day, but we are not yet on trusting terms. Any information we can get now will help us with future dealings with the Romulans."

"How does luring Gaiath into a trap, help you gather information?" asked Lindsey.

"Ideally," answered Shepherd. "We take Gaiath himself prisoner. Lt. Cmdr. Thrim has a security team available to board the warbird and seize its captain. If it is not Gaiath, hopefully he will lead us to Gaiath. If we are not able to board his ship, then we settle for a download of their computer."

"How?"

"Ensign," Shepherd faced the young human at the end of the table.

Ens. Miller opted not to stand, but instead leaned back on his chair. "I am able to download any ship's computer core, as long as we are within twenty kilometers and their shields are down."

"How is that possible?" asked Lindsey disbelieving.

"I'm that good." Lindsey was taken aback by the young man's arrogance. She looked over at Thrim. The Andorian rolled his eyes and his antennae twitched. Shepherd on the other hand seemed quite pleased with his little computer genius.

Lindsey turned to Shepherd. "Let me talk it back to you. We use the _Enquiry_ to lure Gaiath into a trap. We disable his ship or at least his shields. And we either take him or download his computer core."

"That about says it, Commander."

"What do you need me for?"

"Commander, you heard Ens. Miller. He needs to be within twenty kilometers, and the warbird's shields must be down. We need your tactical skills and your knowledge of Gaiath's battle behaviors. While I'm in charge of this ship and this mission, in battle you will command the bridge. Between you and Lt. Cmdr. Thrim, I think we have the battle experience we need for success. Now, let's get to the finer points of our plan. Ta'Prim, please explain how we will use our fake science mission to cover our scans for cloaked warbirds."

As the Vulcan woman began her matter-of-fact briefing, Lindsey looked across the table at the Andorian. He was staring right at her with a cold calculating look. Lindsey knew that he was judging her ability to lead, and there was doubt in his eyes. This could be an interesting assignment.

* * *

Henry felt like he had no energy left. Only ten hours ago, he had discovered that his captain had been essentially kidnapped. Since then he and the senior staff of the _Enterprise_ had been working nonstop to figure out what had happened. But they were no nearer to an answer.

Now Henry was in the _Enterprise's_ conference room with Capt. Picard's senior staff: Lt. Cmdr. Worf, the first officer; Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge, the chief engineer; and Dr. Beverly Crusher, the chief medical officer. Also attending, for reasons Henry didn't understand, was Ambassador Spock.

Capt. Picard entered the conference room. Henry watched him carefully as he took his seat at the head of the table. His expression was grim. "I just spoke to Starfleet Intelligence. They have no record of a secret assignment concerning Capt. Lander," said Picard. "They are greatly concerned that a Starfleet captain has been kidnapped, and they have pledged a full investigation."

"So, we sit back and do nothing?" asked Henry.

"Of course not, Commander," replied Picard with some annoyance in his voice. "We launch an investigation our own. Mr. La Forge, what have you learned about the transmission from my imposter?"

"The transmission appears to have originated here on the _Enterprise._ I still haven't figured out how they were able to pull that off. Then there is your image and voice." The _Enterprise's_ chief engineer put the transmission on the viewscreen. "This is no computer-generated image, Captain. It's a hologram. And an advance one too. It was able to react to different stimuli from Capt. Lander and Cmdr. Hickensen. Based on what I've seen, I'd say that it is a combination of a complex holographic matrix to mimic your voice and likeness, and a real individual telling it what to say."

"How were they able to compile such an advance hologram?" asked Dr. Crusher. "They would have needed recent scans of the Captain."

"And the technology," added La Forge. "Holographic advances are relatively new to the Federation. Prior to _Voyager's_ return from the Delta Quadrant it was only Dr. Zimmerman and Lt. Barclay that were working on such sophisticated holograms."

"Could anyone beside Starfleet have that kind of technology?" asked Dr. Crusher. "Perhaps a stolen emergency medical hologram."

"No," responded La Forge. "This is no EMH."

"The Romulans might have substantial holographic technology," said Picard "I recall a quite convincing hologram of the Ambassador here a number of years ago." Spock's only acknowledgement was a slightly raised eye brow. "And," continued Picard, "They may very well have recent scans of me. It has not been long since I was on last Romulus."

"Wait a minute," interrupted Henry. "The Romulans are behind this?"

"We do not know that," replied La Forge as he turned towards Henry. Henry found it somewhat difficult to meet the stare of the engineer with cybernetic eyes. "There is nothing to point to it."

But Henry continued, "Who else could it be? Lind…Capt. Lander's career is unremarkable. She has made no enemies during her time in Starfleet. None, this is, except the Romulans. It was partially because of her that the war hawks were discredited. The Romulans and war hawks in particular have a reputation of being quite vindictive."

"That is a theory, Commander," said Picard. "And one that has crossed my mind. But we need more than guess work here."

"I've seen records of the Romulans' Spock hologram," said La Forge. "It was programmed to play a single recorded message. This hologram of our captain was much more complicated. I'm not convinced that the Romulans could have pull that off."

"I was under the impression the Spock hologram was years ago," said Henry. "Our own holographic technology has grown leaps and bounds since then. Why not theirs?"

"It's not just the hologram," spoke Worf. "What about the runabout? I operated several runabouts when I was stationed on _Deep Space Nine_. The _Yenisei_ is clearly a Federation runabout."

"I looked into the runabout _Yenisei_ ," said Henry. "There is no record of any such craft. But I've also reviewed the scans, and I have to agree with Mr. Worf, it seems to be a legit Federation runabout. However," Henry paused, "Computer, how many _Danube_ class runabouts are currently unaccounted for?"

"Forty-six _Danube_ class runabouts are currently listed as unaccounted for, or location unknown," responded the computer's voice.

Worf gave a sigh of resignation, "Your point is well made. The Romulans could have acquired a missing runabout." The Klingon shook his head, "The Federation has always treated those ships as disposable."

"So, we're back with the Romulans," said Henry.

"That's just speculation," said La Forge. "We've talked a lot about how it could possibly be the Romulans, but we have said nothing that says it is the Romulans."

"Let me put it this way," said Henry. "Lindsey has only one enemy, only one noteworthy incident in her career; and that is the Romulans. Who else would go through this kind of effort?"

Picard lifted his hands to indicate the whole table, "Can anyone speak against Mr. Hickensen's point?"

"If I may, Captain and Commander." Everyone in the room turned their full attention at the hitherto silent Vulcan. "The Commander has a point; however, there is flaw in his logic."

"I'm listening," replied Henry. He was greatly interested in what Spock had to say of his logic.

"Given the limited facts, it is a good speculation to say that the Romulans are involved in this situation. It is, as Cmdr. Hickensen stated, Capt. Lander's only noteworthy action. However, the flaw in the Commander's logic lies in his assumption that it is the Romulans themselves who perpetrated this act. If one is to speculate, then logically he must consider all possibilities."

"What other possibilities are we missing?" asked Dr. Crusher.

"Perhaps, I should report some of the recent events on Romulus," said Spock. "After Senator Pardek's assassination and the _Orion_ incident, the war hawks have been on the decline. Many of their followers have fallen in line with either Praetor Tal'Aura or with Commander Donatra's military. But a few of the higher profile members are still at large. One of them in particular may be relevant to this situation."

"Colonel Gaiath." Henry allowed the anger to boil into his voice. Knowing that the Romulan who had attacked the first _Orion_ and killed Capt. Taylor was still at large truly angered Henry.

"Gaiath, is no longer a colonel," reported Spock without the slightest hint of anger or even disapproval. "He is no longer welcome in Romulan territory. He has been branded a criminal by both Praetor Tal'Aura and Cmdr. Donatra. He has left Romulan space and is currently operating in Federation space."

"What?!" reacted Henry in disbelief, barely restraining himself from leaping to his feet.

"I also share Mr. Hickensen's surprise," said Picard, alarmed, yet more reserved then Henry. "This is news to me. How did you come to know this?"

"I have my sources on Romulus. The price that Donatra has placed on Gaiath's head was enough to cause even some of the Remans and their Klingon allies to investigate. They and others have told me that Gaiath has left Romulus to pursue his goal of attacking the Federation. I was planning on giving this information to the Federation Diplomatic Council when I arrived there. But clearly it is relevant now," added the Vulcan elder.

"What kind of ship is Gaiath operating?" asked Henry. "The _Enterprise_ destroyed his warbird, the _Accipiter_."

"The rest of Gaiath's fleet disappeared from Romulan space shortly after the _Accipiter's_ destruction," answered Spock.

"Fleet?!" Henry stood in alarm. "How many ships are we talking about?"

"The most reliable sources say between five and seven ships. All of them are older and smaller warbirds than the _Accipiter_."

"Seven ships," said Henry softly to himself as he sunk back into his chair.

"This is indeed alarming," said La Forge. "But how do you see this as relevant to Capt. Lander's kidnapping?"

"It may only be a coincidence, but given, as Cmdr. Hickensen has stated, that Gaiath is Capt. Lander's only noteworthy enemy, it is valid to speculate that Gaiath may be involved."

"But that is only speculation," replied La Forge.

"In the absence of solid facts, speculating is all we are capable of doing," answered Spock.

"So, speculatively speaking, Gaiath is our villain," said Henry. Although he appreciated La Forge's skepticism, he was slowly becoming annoyed with the engineer.

"Again, Commander your speculation is somewhat flawed," replied Spock. "I seriously doubt Gaiath would have the resources or even the cunning to orchestrate such an elaborate kidnapping," said Spock. "It would seem likely that somehow Gaiath is involved, but there could very well be someone else."

"A third party?" inquired Dr. Crusher. "Someone else who has something to gain either from Capt. Lander or from the Romulan Gaiath. Ambassador, you mentioned that the Remans and the Klingons were enticed by Gaiath's bounty. Are you suggesting that either of them might be responsible?" asked Dr. Crusher.

"No, I do not believe so, Doctor," replied Spock. "The Remans do not have the resources to acquire a runabout, and the Klingons have little experience with holograms. The Romulans may have these resources, but not the war hawks. I see no logical reason for any of the other Romulan factions to, as Mr. Hickensen would say, go through such an effort." Henry was pleased to hear a Vulcan approve of his logic.

"Then who?" asked Crusher.

"It could be any number of third parties who would be interested in Donatra's bounty or destabilizing the situation on Romulus: the Breen, the Dominion. But the party that would be most likely, in my speculation, would be the Federation," finished Spock.

"The Federation!?" Henry rechecked his memory to make sure that he had heard the Ambassador correctly.

Picard also sounded surprise, "Starfleet Intelligence said they know nothing about this. Why would they tell Capt. Lander about a secret mission, and then lie about it to me?"

"Perhaps there is a faction within the Federation that would seek to hide itself even from Starfleet Intelligence," stated Spock.

"Who would do that, and why?" asked Dr. Crusher.

"The Federation and Starfleet are both founded on a core set of principles," said Spock. "If someone in the Federation were to violate those principles, even for good intentions, and it was discovered, it would destroy the Federation's ethical standing."

"Such violators would naturally wish to remain secret," said Henry as he followed the Vulcan's logic. "Even from the Federation itself and from Starfleet." Spock rewarded Henry with a slight nod of the head.

"I am having a difficult time believing this, Ambassador," replied Picard. "Such intrigue within the Federation is unthinkable."

"Captain, I am surprised to hear you say that." said Spock. "Given your experiences with the Federation's actions in the Ba'ku and Son'a conflict, as well as the _Pegasus_ incident."

"Isolated incidents, Ambassador," countered Picard.

Spoke responded with his immensely patient Vulcan voice. "Captain, I have worked for Starfleet and the Federation for a very long time, and I have seen things that cannot be entirely explained by the Federation's enlighten ethical principles, beginning with the assassination on Chancellor Gorkon during the Klingon-Federation peace talks. Even then I had thought such things to be isolated incidents. That was until about five years ago.

"It was during the Dominion War. Federation and Romulan relations were improving due to our status as wartime allies. Romulus hosted a medical conference and invited many prominent Federation doctors and scientists to attend. I too attended, albeit, in disguise. Such cooperation between Romulus and the Federation boded well for my goal of Vulcan-Romulan reunification, since Vulcan is part of the Federation."

"Logically," affirmed Henry, but Spock continued without acknowledging the interruption.

"However, during the conference there was an assassination attempt on Koval, the head of the Tal'Shiar. He claimed the would-be assassin was a Starfleet Intelligence agent."

"Impossible, Starfleet does not endorse political assassinations," said Picard.

"So too, did I believe," said Spock. "But then I noticed that Koval and the Tal'Shiar subtly began to promote pro-Federation policies. It was then that I recalled that Koval had used the incident to gain a seat on the Continuing Council. His rival had been charged with treason for giving classified information to a Starfleet doctor who apparently was trying to prevent the assassination. It was all too convenient to believe."

"Koval faked his own attempted assassination?" asked Henry.

"Yes, with the aid of someone within the Federation," answered Spock.

"This is becoming even too speculative for me," said Henry.

"My former captain would call it, 'human intuition.' But, as I said earlier, I have seen this before. While I do not have all the pieces of the puzzle, as the human express says; it is not logical to assume that all of these are coincidences."

Picard suddenly spoke, "Mr. Worf, have you something to add?"

Henry had not been paying attention to the Klingon, but now he could see there was a certain tension about him. Worf gathered himself. "Ambassador Spock is right. I too am familiar with this incident, although I lack specific details." Worf stood upright. "The Starfleet doctor to whom the Ambassador referred was one of my companions on _Deep Space Nine_. The would-be assassin was not a Starfleet Intelligence officer, but an agent of Section 31."

"Article 14, Section 31 of the original Starfleet Charter?" asked Spock with a raised eyebrow. Worf merely gave an affirmative nod.

"You've read the entire Starfleet Charter?" asked Henry.

Spock looked at Henry with mild surprise. "Of course. I did so when I was a child on Vulcan and again when I first joined Starfleet and several times since then. It is only logical to know the organization to which one belongs. Do they no longer require its reading at the Academy?"

"I wasn't the best student," replied Henry as he bowed his head. He did not enjoy being embarrassed in front of one of his heroes.

"I have read the Charter, Ambassador," said Picard. "But I am not familiar with this Section 31."

"It is a decided vague section," replied Spock. "But it gives Starfleet much leeway in its application of its ethical standards when it comes to protecting the Federation itself. When I was a young officer, there was an organization within Starfleet Intelligence that took its name from this section of the charter. They operated in the gray areas of Federation laws and ethics. That was until they were dissolved shortly after the Klingon-Federation War. I have long suspected that Section 31 or another organization like it has arisen since that time. Or perhaps Section 31 never really disappeared."

"Then you have suspected correctly," said Worf. "Section 31 is still active. They operate with no supervision and answer to no one. They are willing to do anything to protect the Federation, and no rules are unbreakable." Worf clenched his fists. "They are entirely without honor."

"But what would this 'Section 31' want with Lind…Capt. Lander?" asked Henry.

"I'm finding this all hard to believe," said La Forge. "Shadow organizations and Federation agents with no moral code."

"It is shaky grounds for investigation," said Picard. "But right now, it is all we have to go on. Mr. Worf, could you get more information on this Section 31?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Then do so, discreetly. You will join Cmdr. Hickensen on board the _Orion_. The two of you will pursue your investigation from there. Mr. Worf, you know how to contact me if you need to."

"We should also gather whatever information we can on Gaiath," said Henry. "If he is involved somehow, he might lead us to Capt. Lander."

"Agreed. Keep me informed," said Picard. "As for myself, I think it is time that I get the Ambassador to Earth. Once there, I will pay a visit to some admirals I know. A Starfleet captain, one of our own, is missing; and I want answers. Dismissed."

* * *

Alivia O'Hara walked down the corridor towards the conference room. She had opted for the long walk rather than relying on the turbo lift. She had forced herself to do this, so that she would see more of the ship and its crew. Part of her still wished, however, that no crewman would bother her. She was disappointed.

"Hello, Lieutenant, may I walk with you?" asked Lt. Luke Ryan, the _Orion's_ helmsman.

"Of course, Lieutenant."

"I thought it would be nice to chat with someone from the home Island."

"You're from Ireland?" asked Alivia with surprise.

"Yeah. My family crossed the ocean to North America in the 19th century. It was at that time that the 'O' was dropped from O'Ryan. My grandfather later moved our family back to the home Island, and my father was raised there."

"But, your skin is dark."

"And yours is green," replied Ryan with a smile which made Alivia feel silly. "My mother was from the African Federation, the old region of Ghana. My father met her on an academic exchange."

"I see," said Alivia, not sure what else to say. She wasn't the best at small talk.

"You probably don't remember, but we've actually met before."

"What? Where?" asked Alivia.

"Back in elementary school. Your school came up to Dublin for a tour of the city. My school was on the same tour. Of course, you were four years older than me. You probably didn't even notice me."

"I remember that trip," said Alivia. "The power station for the whole island was there. All I wanted to do was learn how it worked."

"And now you work on warp cores. I guess you were always an engineer."

"How do you remember me?" asked Alivia.

"You…kind of stood out," said Ryan. Alivia was slightly taken aback, and Ryan immediately spoke. "Please don't take that the wrong way. I had never seen an Orion before, and I was just an eight-year-old boy."

Alivia smiled, "Don't worry about it." The truth was that just a few minutes ago Ryan was making her feel like a normal crewmate and not some out of place slave girl. She liked that feeling.

The two of them arrived at the conference room and entered. Already gathered in the room was Lt. Cmdr. Ulysses F. Grant, Dr. Thomas Randel, Lt. Vladimir Kustov, Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson, and Lt. Selina Chaput. Lt. Chaput waved to Alivia and indicated the seat next to her. "Please, sit next to me, Lieutenant."

"I can do that, Lieutenant," replied Alivia to the female operations officer. As she sat down, Alivia braced herself for more small talk.

"I was wondering, Lieutenant," began Lt. Chaput. "There is a group of us female officers that get together occasionally during our down time at the Orion's Club. Perhaps you might be interested in joining us."

Alivia had no reply. In her mind were a bunch of questions. Besides the Captain, Alivia was the highest ranking woman on the _Orion_. Lt. Chaput was a lieutenant junior grade, only one rank below Alivia's senior grade lieutenant rank. But Alivia was the chief engineer, a department head. Would it be appropriate to fraternize with those of lesser ranks? Especially as some of the women working under Alivia might be part of the group. Alivia also had to admit that it made her nervous on another level. Would she fit in with a ladies' group?

Lt. Chaput apparently noticed her hesitation, "You don't have to answer now. I just wanted to pass on the invitation. Think about it."

"I appreciate it very much, and I will think about it," answered Alivia.

"So, what do you think this meeting is about?" asked Lt. Chaput, changing the subject.

"I don't know. But Cmdr. Hickensen has spent a lot of time over on the _Enterprise_. That has me a bit nervous."

"I agree," said Lt. Chaput. "I don't like it. I fear it may have something to do with the Captain."

At that moment, the door to the conference room opened. A Klingon with a red shirt under his Starfleet uniform entered followed by Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen. Alivia concluded that the Klingon was Lt. Cmdr. Worf from the _Enterprise_. His presence here only made Alivia more nervous.

"I am going to cut to the chase," said Cmdr. Hickensen even before he sat down. "Capt. Lander is missing in action. The runabout that took her from the _Orion_ doesn't exist, and Starfleet Intelligence is denying all knowledge of her secret assignment. This is Lt. Cmdr. Worf, first officer on the _Enterprise._ He will be assisting us. Mr. Worf would you brief the table?"

"Certainly," said the Klingon, who then proceeded to lay out all the facts in an orderly and efficient way. As Alivia heard everything she felt her stomach turn. She barely knew Capt. Lander, but she already had grown to respect and even like her. Now she was missing.

"Do we have any suspects?" asked Lt. Cmdr. Grant as Worf finished his briefing.

Worf answered, "Capt. Picard is going to Earth to question Starfleet Intelligence in person. It is still possible that they are withholding information from us. Otherwise, the only other suspects we have are the Romulans."

Grant nodded as if the answer was expected. But Cmdr. Hickensen had more to say. "Not just any Romulans either. We have information that a certain Romulan has been exiled from Romulan space and is now in Federation space. Cassius Gaiath."

The raise in tension in the room could be felt. Alivia looked at her shipmates. Ryan's previous smile was gone. Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson lost some color in his face, whereas Grant's face had turned red. Even the normally calm and happy Selina Chaput was clenching her fists. Everyone in the room besides Worf and Alivia were survivors of Gaiath's attack on the _Orion_. It was an experience that Alivia could not share with these people, and a battle-hardened bond that she would have difficulty joining. How could she ever fit in with this crew?

Ryan was the first to speak, "Where's Gaiath now?"

"We don't know," said Hickensen.

"What kind of ship is he commanding?" asked Mikkelson.

"He has a fleet of five to seven warbirds," replied Hickensen. The table took a collective gasp. "They are much smaller than the _Accipiter_ which assaulted the old _Orion_ ," said Henry trying to reassure the group. "He is also cut off from his Romulan suppliers. If he wants to maintain his ships he must get access to some very particular supplies. Our plan is to identify the supplies he needs the most and to find his source. From there we hope to follow those supplies to the man himself." Hickensen looked around the room. "I don't suppose anyone here has ever been on board a Romulan warbird."

Alivia raised her hand. "Lt. O'Hara, do you have a question?"

"No, Commander, but I have been on board a Romulan warbird."

"You have?" the surprise on Cmdr. Hickensen's face was clear. "When? How?"

"I graduated early from the Academy in order to serve during the Dominion War. Our task force was sent to aid a Romulan fleet that was hit hard by the Jem'Hadar. I was part of an away team sent onto the flag ship of the Romulan task force. They had taken a lot of casualties and needed engineers. I worked on their impulse and warp systems."

"You did maintenance on a Romulan starship?" asked Worf with what Alivia thought was a tone of surprised.

"We were wartime allies. Mutual help was expected, even if it was always met with suspicion. I had a Romulan centurion practically breathing down my neck the whole time. Heaven forbid, I even look in the direction of their cloaking technology."

"Do you think you can come up with a short list of the most needed and most difficult to obtain parts and supplies needed to run a warbird?" asked Cmdr. Hickensen eagerly.

"Yes, I believe I can."

"Then by all means do so," answered the first officer. "In fact, this is your top priority."

"Anything to get the Captain back," replied Alivia. She was vaguely aware that everyone in the room was nodding their approvable. She inwardly smiled. She might not have been on the original _Orion_ , but if she could help bring Capt. Lander back, then she would belong here.

* * *

Lindsey looked at the first officer's chair beside her, aware of the irony that she had skipped that chair on her way to the captain's chair. She wondered at the opportunity she had lost by not being able to learn at the side of an experienced captain. Now, on the _Enquiry_ , she was the first officer to an intelligence operative. She sighed. It was no substitute.

And, it was boring.

Lindsey stirred in her seat. She longed for something to do, or someone to talk to. The bridge of the _Enquiry_ was eerily quiet. Apparently, intelligence agents didn't do much small talk. Lindsey found herself wishing that Henry was with her. Henry had a knack for making any situation better, whether it was taking command of a ship in an emergency or enduring a boring shift. Just thinking about Henry lighten Lindsey's mood.

Lindsey's mood lessened. Her friendship with Henry had slipped since Lindsey had become captain. Was it her fault? Was she pushing him away? She had been attempting to maintain a professional relationship with Henry. Professional relationship? Lindsey already had a great relationship with Henry, why would she want to change it? Was she afraid it would become…?

Lindsey shook the thought out of her head. Desperate to find something else to think about, she brought up her chair's data panel and looked at the results of their scans. When it displayed next to nothing, she let out another sigh.

The Vulcan, Lt. Ta'Prim, turned to Lindsey, "I can spare you the effort. Our sensors have shown no indications of a cloaked ship."

"Perhaps our sensors are not sufficient," replied Lindsey.

"It is conceivable that they are not perfectly adapted for precise scanning, but it is not conceivable that a cloaked ship could approach without any sensor readings whatsoever."

"I see," Lindsey sighed again.

"You humans struggle with monotony."

"Sorry, I don't have the infinite patience of a Vulcan. I am not used to doing nothing. Even on the most boring days on a starship there is plenty to do. Having just a single task seems strange to me."

"Finding Gaiath is our only purpose out here."

"Couldn't we find something else to do while we are waiting?"

"What do you suggest?" asked the Vulcan woman.

"Perhaps we could study this nebula," Lindsey pointed towards the viewscreen. "One of the primary tasks of Starfleet is to investigate and study such things. I have been stuck on Neutral Zone patrol for two years now. Starfleet has studied every inch of that area. It is nice to look at something I haven't seen before."

"I may wear a blue uniform, Commander, but there are no actual scientists on board this ship," answered the Vulcan.

"So, you are an intelligence officer?"

"Yes, Commander."

Bored with talking to the Vulcan, Lindsey turned to the Andorian standing like a silent statute at the tactical station. "How about you, Cmdr. Thrim? You're not an intelligence officer, are you?"

The Andorian turned towards Lindsey, "No, I am a command officer, sometimes a tactical officer."

"Where did they pull you from? Did they take you from your ship?"

Thrim paused. Lindsey thought for a second that it was because he was hiding something. But then she noted that he didn't seem like the talkative type. Perhaps small talk was not his thing. "I was pulled off a small research ship."

"A _Nova_ class like this one?"

"Yes."

"Is that why they brought you on board?"

"It is more likely that they wanted me for my experience during the Dominion War."

"What ship did you serve on?" asked Lindsey.

"The _Woodrow Wilson_."

"The _Wilson_ was crippled beyond repair during the war."

"I know. I was on it."

Lindsey gave Thrim a slow nod. "I'm sorry." She knew that he wouldn't want to talk about it, any more than she would want to talk about the old _Orion_ and all the crewmates and friends that she had lost.

Lindsey sat in silence for a bit longer before standing up. "Mr. Thrim, you have the bridge. Notify me and the captain at the first sign of trouble."

"Where are you going?" asked Ta'Prim.

"To check on the crew. If they are as bored as I am, then they will need a boost."

"That is illogical."

"I contend that point, Lieutenant. The crew needs to be sharp. This much inactivity is not good for them."

"You cannot leave the bridge, Commander." repeated Ta'Prim forcefully as she stood from her station and even took a few steps towards the lift, but she stopped short of actually intercepting Lindsey.

"Lieutenant! You do not give me orders. I am first officer of this ship, and the Captain has given me latitude in my command. Only he can restrict me. Understood?"

"Yes, Commander," said Ta'Prim as she stepped away.

Lindsey walked passed the Vulcan and into the lift. "Deck 5." As the lift began moving, Lindsey contemplated the exchange. Why would Ta'Prim try to stop her from leaving the bridge? Lindsey had anticipated her objection, but not her forcefulness. Were intelligence officers that unaccustomed to the chain of command? Or was she hiding something? Why would they bring Lindsey on board their ship and then hide something from her?

The turbo lift arrived at its destination, and Lindsey put the thought out of her mind. Perhaps these intelligence officers were just out of their element.

* * *

The Romulan bridge was quieter than it should have been as they cruised at warp 3 towards a Federation research vessel near a nebula. Colonel Gaiath suspected that his crew was tiring of hitting these soft targets. Gaiath admitted to himself that the life of a terrorist was draining on both him and his crew. But this was the only way for Gaiath to continue his war on the Federation.

It had been a number of months since Gaiath had been defeated at the hands of some junior Starfleet officer. In his battles with the _Orion_ he had lost a number of good soldiers as well as his flag ship, the _Accipiter_. But his political losses were far worse. When he returned to Romulan space, he found that his empire had turned against him. In attempts to bolster their new found friendship with the Federation, both Praetor Tal Aura and Commander Donatra declared Gaiath a criminal. Donatra had even offered to turn him over to the Federation. Gaiath's only allies were the war hawks, but they had lost almost all their political influence.

Without support from Romulus, Gaiath was on his own. His dream of war with the Federation was out of reach. His only consolation was doing whatever damage he could to the Federation.

"Colonel, we are nearing the target," said Gaiath's female first officer, Sub-commander Tal'Igna.

"Excellent, Sub-commander, drop to impulse." The warbird came out of warp. "On screen." The image of a small Federation starship appeared with a brilliant nebula behind it. The only thing Gaiath could imagine as more beautiful was the explosion that would result when he breached the ship's core.

"Sir, it is a _Nova_ class Starfleet vessel. Its name is _Enquiry_."

"Thank you, Sub-lieutenant." He had never heard of the ship before.

"It is traveling at low impulse speeds. Its shields are down, and there's no indication that they know we're here. They do have heavy scanning equipment, however. I would guess it is for studying the nebula."

"A science vessel then. If Starfleet would focus more on weapon design and less on scientific exploration, then the Empire would truly struggle against them," remarked Gaiath. "Fortunately for us they don't. Power up weapons; standard attack pattern." Gaiath favored his first officer, Tal'Igna, with a smile. "Let's see if we can hit its core in one strike."

The Romulan female returned his smile. "I will see to it personally." She walked over and relieved the officer at the weapons station.

Gaiath smiled. His crew needed the morale boost. Perhaps the _Enquiry_ would oblige them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Section 31 log, second officer, Lt. Cmdr. Ser'rek Thrim; stardate 57305.7: It is only a matter of time before the Romulans find us. I only hope they come while I am on duty. I can't wait to pay back those pointy eared cowards for what they did to the_ Wilson _._

Thrim stood silently on the bridge, brooding in his own thoughts. He should have been impatient, but he knew the time was near. The Romulans were close, he could feel it. Finally, his moment of revenge would come; finally, the Romulans would pay; finally, Capt. Meyer and the crew of the _Wilson_ could rest in peace.

Thrim frowned as he thought of Capt. Meyer. Was he not at peace? Did the treachery surrounding his death prevent him from his final rest? What about Melissa Haymore? Was her soul not at peace? Did Thrim's actions change any of that? What would they think if they saw him now?

Thrim tried to push away these thoughts. By bringing up the memory of his former crew, Thrim thought he could fuel his battle rage, but all he wanted to do was talk history with his captain again, to laugh with Melissa, to see that young academy graduate become a fine officer. As much as his blood boiled for revenge, more than anything Thrim wanted his old crew back, his friends.

But they were dead. And nothing was going to bring them back.

Thrim tried to think of something else. He looked across the bridge. The Vulcan Ta'Prim was at a station labeled science, but was in reality a sensor station. Agent Ta'Prim was as boring of a woman as Thrim had ever met, even for a Vulcan. Lander's attempt at conversation with the Section 31 agent was a good one, but still yielded little results.

What about Lander? Thrim figured that the young human girl was more lucky than good in her last battle with the Romulan Gaiath. She would soon be tested again. Thrim had been in war, and he doubted that such an inexperienced little girl would have the demeaner to actually wage war. But then again, Thrim had seen the look in her eye when she first heard the name Gaiath. Like Thrim, she too had lost her captain and her friends. Lander was a wild card, Thrim thought. She might be one of the greatest battle commanders in Starfleet, or a complete dud.

One thing was certain, Lander might be naïve, but she wasn't a complete fool. It was a close call between Ta'Prim and Lander a few moments ago. With so many Section 31 agents on board, the _Enquiry_ didn't quite feel like a Starfleet ship. It wasn't very noticeable, but an experienced command officer like Thrim could tell. The only question was whether Lander could see through the disguise or not.

There was a beeping from across the bridge. Thrim turned to Ta'Prim, who was now facing him. "A cloaked ship has dropped out of warp and is approaching," was all the stoic Vulcan said.

Thrim felt his heart leap into action. It took a couple of deep breathes to contain his energy. "Red alert, all hands to battle stations."

* * *

Lindsey continued her walk around the ship. She did her best to talk to various crewmen, to boast their spirits, and to raise morale. And they needed it. The crew looked like they were asleep on their feet. Whatever these intelligence officers were good at, running a starship was not one of them.

Soon Lindsey was at the armory. "Hello, Ensign. How's has your duty been?"

The security ensign stood straight and at attention. "Good, sir."

"At ease, Ensign. I am just getting to know the ship and its crew. I am not here to critique you. I will leave that to Cmdr. Thrim."

"Understood, Commander," said the ensign still standing like a statue.

"Serious, Ensign, relax. That's an order. If you stay this wound up, you won't be able to operate in battle. How's the armory?"

"Good, sir." Lindsey thought about asking him to switch from 'sir' to 'ma'am' but she knew her time on the _Enquiry_ was limited, thus it wasn't worth the effort.

"Mind if I take a look around?" Lindsey made a move to the door he was guarding.

"That's not necessary, sir," said the guard. He looked like he was about to block the door. It was the second time today that someone was trying to stop Lindsey. "Cmdr. Thrim was here earlier this morning. He gave us the all clear."

"That's good, Ensign. But I'm doing this for my own sake."

"I don't understand, sir."

"The more I learn about this ship, the better battle commander I'll be. And this is the armory. I want to see what kind of firepower we have."

"It's all in the reports, sir."

"Indeed. But there is something about seeing it with your own eyes." Lindsey made a move towards the door, and the ensign flinched like he wanted to stop her. Lindsey stopped and faced the young man. "Is there something wrong, Ensign?"

"N…no, sir," stuttered the nervous ensign. Lindsey was about to respond when the red alert sounded. Warning noises sounded and red lights flooded the corridor.

"Bridge to Cmdr. Lander," came Thrim's voice from her combadge. "You are needed right away. A cloaked vessel is approaching."

"Understood," replied Lindsey as she turned and ran to the turbo lift. She pushed aside all other thoughts about strange crew behavior, and reset her mind for battle.

She reached the turbo lift in almost no time. Lindsey waited as patiently as she possibly could as the turbo lift seemed to inch its way up. The red alarms continued to fill the small lift. Finally, the door opened. Just as she entered the bridge, Capt. Shepherd emerged from his ready room. "Status?" sounded the Captain.

"Cloaked Romulan warbird on our aft, fifty kilometers and closing," reported Cmdr. Thrim. The normally subdued Andorian seemed quite excited.

Shepherd took his seat in the captain's chair and looked at Lindsey. "Well, Commander, this is why we brought you on board. You have the bridge. Subject to my veto, of course."

"Thank you, Captain." Lindsey stood in front of her first officer's chair, next to the Captain. "Mr. Thrim, I assume that our weapons are online."

"Yes, Commander. Phasers and torpedoes are ready. We have disguised their signatures. The Romulans will have no idea that they are powered."

"Shields?"

"Still down, Commander," said the operations officer. "I suggest we raise them."

"Negative, keep them down. We don't want to alarm them."

"Ens. Miller, can you tell whether or not it is Gaiath's ship?" Shepherd asked the computer genius sitting at a science station next to Ta'Prim.

"I can't tell through the cloak."

"Twenty-five kilometers and closing," reported the operations ensign.

"Let me guess," said Lindsey. "He is coming up on our aft, just below our impulse trial."

"Yes," said the confused ensign.

"It's Gaiath," said Lindsey. "And in a few minutes, he will know that I am here. Cmdr. Thrim prepare to fire on my command, aft torpedoes and whatever phaser arrays can target him. Ensign, I want you to raise shields on the very same command. Mr. Thrim, target their weapons."

"How can he do that? Our sensors cannot provide that precise of data through their cloak," said the operations officer.

"Ensign, let Mr. Thrim worry about that," responded Lindsey. "How about it, Commander?"

"Targeting manually. I think I can make a couple of guesses." Thrim looked up from his counsel with a fire in his eyes. "And I am a good guesser." Thrim's attitude sent chills down Lindsey's spine, but she figured whatever was fueling this twisted battle delight would only be helpful. Let the counselors sort it out later.

"Ten kilometers and closing," said the ensign with a panic. "We need to raise shields!"

"Not yet!" shouted Lindsey.

"Captain, do something," pleaded the ensign.

"Miss. Lander is in command," said Capt. Shepherd, but even he sounded nervous. The only ones not nervous were Lindsey, the battle crazed Thrim, and the emotionless Ta'Prim.

"Five kilometers…four, three, two…"

"Fire!"

Thrim responded immediately. A barrage of photon torpedoes and phaser fire lashed out at empty space. Suddenly they struck some invisible object. Explosions ensued, and in their wake a Romulan warbird was revealed.

The _Enquiry_ shook violently. "The warbird is returning fire! Shields holding, for now," shouted the ensign.

"Hard to starboard. Mr. Thrim, fire at will," ordered Lindsey.

"Ens. Miller. Transmission status?" asked Capt. Shepherd.

"I have linked to their computer. It is definitely Gaiath's flagship." Lindsey wondered how the kid was able to access an enemy's computer during a fire fight. "But I will need their shields down to actually download their database."

"Make it happen, Commander," said Capt. Shepherd.

"Yes, sir," replied Lindsey. "Attack pattern delta. Mr. Thrim, target shields and propulsion." Lindsey allowed herself a slight laugh. "This time, Gaiath, I will be the hunter." For a moment, Lindsey and Thrim shared a sinister smile, which sent a second shiver down her spine. Taking pleasure in revenge was not a habit that Lindsey wanted to develop.

"Their shields are weakening," said the operations ensign.

"Download commencing. Keep us within four kilometers," said Ens. Miller.

"Helm, keep us close. Stay below them," ordered Lindsey. "Thrim, target their warp nacelles. We don't want them getting away."

"Download at 50%."

The _Enquiry_ took a hit near the bridge. "Forward shields are failing." reported Ta'Prim calmly.

"Divert emergency power to shields," ordered Lindsey as the impact caused her to fall into her chair. Hits near the bridge still frighten Lindsey. "Captain, shouldn't your boarding party be getting ready?"

"They are, but the download is the easier approach. Mr. Miller?"

"Download at 80%. Just a few more seconds."

The _Enquiry_ shook again. "Shields are holding," reported Ta'Prim. "The warbird on the other hand has just lost shields."

"If you're going to send a boarding party, you should do it now, Captain," said Lindsey.

"Mr. Miller?" was all that Shepherd said.

"Download complete. We have their entire database on board."

"Another warbird decloaking in front of us," said Ta'Prim. "It is in intercept position and is charging weapons."

"Ser'rek!" shouted Shepherd. "We must destroy Gaiath's ship now! Arm quantum torpedoes."

"Quantum torpedoes?!" asked Lindsey. "You never told me we have quantum torpedoes."

"The second warbird is firing," said Ta'Prim.

Shepherd and Lindsey shouted their orders at the same time.

"Fire torpedoes!"

"Evasive maneuvers!"

The _Enquiry_ leaped to its portside, while firing a barrage of quantum torpedoes. Because of the maneuver the torpedoes missed wide left.

"Pursue Gaiath's ship and take it out!" shouted Shepherd.

"We can't ignore the second warbird. It will destroy us," argued Lindsey.

"Gaiath is our priority, Commander."

"Captain," spoke Thrim. "I agree with Miss. Lander. The information we've obtained will do no good if we don't survive."

Shepherd reluctantly sighed. "You're right, Ser'rek. Commander, take care of that warbird."

"Hard to port, then back to starboard," Lindsey turned to Thrim. "Are the aft tubes armed with quantum torpedoes?"

"Yes, Commander."

"Fifty degrees to starboard. Then fake a limping port maneuver."

The _Enquiry_ turned hard to the right, and then make a weak turn to the left. The second Romulan warbird came right up behind them. "Mr. Thrim, fire."

The four aft torpedo tubes each fired a pair of the high-powered quantum torpedoes. The eight impacts were too much for the small starship's shields, and the entire warbird erupted in flames.

"Ta'Prim, where is Gaiath's ship?" asked Shepherd.

"Nowhere on sensors. It must have gone to warp, sir," stated the Vulcan. "Not to worry, Captain. We've crippled them. Their warp signature, shouldn't be hard to follow."

"That's probably what Gaiath's crew told him about the _Orion_ ," said Lindsey. "Never underestimate a cornered animal."

"Warning noted, Commander. Ta'Prim, begin your search immediately," said Capt. Shepherd. "What about the other warbird?"

"Destroyed, sir," replied Thrim with a grim satisfaction as he put the debris field on the main viewscreen.

Lindsey's stomach lurched, and all the battle joy fell away. She stood from her chair and stared at all that remained of the second warbird that was likely crewed by about a hundred Romulans.

"What's the matter, Commander?" asked Thrim. "Not enjoying your revenge?"

"That," pointed Lindsey at the debris, "isn't revenge. That is the second starship to sacrifice itself for Gaiath. How many more Romulans have to die, before one individual Romulan is brought to justice?" Lindsey sat back down in her chair angrily.

"The captain of that ship was a war hawk, just like Gaiath. He had it coming."

"Save your opinions, Commander. I'm not interested," replied Lindsey still brooding in anger. Thrim fell silent.

Lindsey began to issue orders. "Helmsman, move us away from the nebula. I don't want any other warbirds to attack us now. Ensign, have Engineering begin repairs."

Capt. Shepherd also began issuing orders. "Ens. Miller, held to the science lab and begin your analysis of the data. Helmsman, set your coarse to our secondary staging point." Shepherd then leaned over and spoke to Lindsey in a quieter voice. "Commander, you have done well. I will relieve you on the bridge. Go and get some rest. I will call you if anything happens."

"Thank you, Captain." Lindsey stood up and left the bridge. "Deck 8," she said as she entered the turbo lift. As it began to move, Lindsey leaned against the wall as she tried to process all that had happened.

* * *

Damage reports were being shouted across the small bridge of the warbird. Gaiath stood quietly in the center of it all. His first officer came to wake him out of his stupor. "Colonel, we have sustained heavy damages."

"Are we still functional, Sub-commander?"

"Yes, but we will need supplies to complete our repairs. We can be battle ready again."

"What, in your opinion, went wrong in that battle, Tal'Igna?"

The woman paused in thought. "That starship was far more capable than it appeared. Stronger shields, stronger weapons, quantum torpedoes, and the ability to see through our cloak. My conclusion, sir, is that the Federation laid a trap for us."

"They had more than just a technical advantage over us. They also knew our battle strategy."

"You are not implying that we have a mole?" said Tal'Igna in surprise.

"No, Sub-commander. Rather, they have brought in someone who knows me. I believe the commander of that starship was no other than Lindsey Lander."

"The woman who commanded the _Orion_? They've brought her in?"

"Just a suspicion, of course. Regardless, we will have to change our approach in the future." Despite the defeat he had just endured, Gaiath smiled. "I am looking forward to the rematch."

* * *

Thrim entered the conference room. Captain, or more accurately Agent Shepherd, sat at his chair. It had been four hours since the battle. Thrim had finally been able to fire upon Romulans. But the high he had experienced was fading. It left him feeling very empty. It was only a minor skirmish. Perhaps he needed more. And more he would soon get.

"Commander," said Agent Shepherd with a smile. "I think that went quite well."

"Gaiath got away, sir."

"I know. And we'll need to take out both him and his ship. But we got the database."

"Was Miller able to do his job?"

"He said it was easy," answered Shepherd. "Ser'rek, what did you think of Miss. Lander?"

"Young, a little naïve, but surprisingly capable," answer Thrim. "She has a battle instinct that will serve her well in the coming years." Thrim thought for a bit. "She has motivation as well. For a moment, I thought she was going to completely give into her desire for revenge. But at the end of the day she is still a Starfleet girl scout."

"Good, that's what we want," said Shepherd. "The perfect face of Starfleet. Who better to deliver the news of war, then the very person who would want to avoid a war." The door chimed. "That would be her." Shepherd then spoke louder. "Enter."

The door opened, and Lindsey Lander along with Agent Ta'Prim and Junior Agent Kyle Miller entered the room. "Please take a seat everyone," said Shepherd with a grim voice. Thrim could never figure out how the cunning human could manipulate his emotions so well. All hints of joy and excitement were gone from Shepherd's face and voice. All that remained now was a very serious, somber tone.

Once everyone was seated Shepherd began. "I have called you here, because our computer expert, Ens. Miller, has discovered some very disturbing information from the data we collected. Ensign?"

"Yes, Captain. I found this recording on Gaiath's personal communications log. It is…well, it speaks for itself." The boy tapped the controls and the conference room viewscreen displayed a split screen view. On the left was Gaiath, on the right was a blank screen."

"Begin subspace communication, top level encryption," said the image of Gaiath. Soon the right side resolved itself into the image of a female Romulan military officer. "Commander, Colonel Gaiath reporting."

"Is your line secure, Colonel?"

"Of course, Commander."

There was a sharp intake of air from across the room. Lindsey Lander was staring with her eyes wide open. "That's Donatra!" Lindsey looked around the room. "That's Commander Donatra, leader of the Romulan military faction."

"Ensign, pause recording," said Agent Shepherd. "Yes, this is Commander Donatra, holding a private communication with Gaiath, and still calling him 'Colonel' I might add, even after publicly stripping him of his rank."

"Stripping him of his rank and putting a price on his head," said Lander. "This can't be real."

"Oh, it's real," said young Miller. Thrim hoped the kid was a good of a liar as Shepherd was. "I have checked and double checked. The source of the transmission is from Donatra's own flagside, the _Valdore_. Her image matches perfectly with images we've recently gotten from the _Titan_ , which spent some time with Donatra and her fleet."

Shepherd raised his hand to stop Miller, which Thrim thought was a good idea. He had decided long ago to leave the lying to the professionals. "I share your concern, Commander. Believe me, I will have Mr. Miller here check, double check, and triple check his work. But as it stands, we have a Romulan terrorist communicating with the head of the Romulan military." Shepherd leaned forward. "And this is not an isolated incident. We've have already found dozens of strategy discussions between the two of them. It appears that Gaiath is reporting directly to Commander Donatra. And if that is true, Gaiath would be officially acting on the behalf of the Romulan military. We are faced with one conclusion: Donatra is a war hawk, and she and her military are directly violating the Treaty of Algeron."

"Impossible!" stated Lander. "Donatra saved Earth from annihilation at the hands of Shinzon. If it wasn't for her, the _Enterprise_ might not have been able stop the _Scimitar_ and its deadly thalaron weapon. And Capt. Riker's reports sing her praises. He claims that she is a supporter of the Federation, not a crazed war hawk trying to start a war with us."

"Riker's last report did not sing her praises so much. It was unclear, but something had disillusioned the good captain about his Romulan friend. Nevertheless, this evidence is clear, and overrides the intuition of a signal Starfleet captain. There is still a lot of work for Ens. Miller to do, but right now we have to assume Colonel Gaiath's actions against the Federation are endorsed, albeit secretly, by the Romulan military."

The look on Lander's face was perfect. A mix of shock, horror, and fear. She knew perfectly well what this meant. If the Romulan military was breaking the peace treaty, it meant that the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire were on the brink of war.

"Can I have access to these recordings?" was all that Lander could say.

"I insist on it," said Shepherd. "In fact, I need another pair of eyes on this. We need to be sure about this before we bring it to Starfleet Command and the Federation." Shepherd also looked around at Thrim and Ta'Prim. "That goes for the two of you as well. Study these recordings closely, but keep them to yourselves. We shouldn't let this information out just yet. And don't forget, we still want to apprehend Gaiath himself. Dismissed."

Ta'Prim was the first one to leave, followed by Miller. Lander walked out like one who was sleep walking. As Thrim was leaving, he turned back to Agent Shepherd. Shepherd looked up at him and gave him a wicked smirk. His plan was working perfectly. Capt. Lander was buying it.

* * *

Lindsey was up well into the night shift watching various communications between Gaiath and Donatra, while reading other reports from the data collected.

Lindsey would never forget the face or voice of Gaiath from her face to face meetings with him when he had boarded the old _Orion_. And Donatra she had recognized from various reports she had read about her. Lindsey still couldn't believe that Donatra was a war hawk. She knew that the head of the Romulan military was by no means trustworthy, but to be secretly plotting against the Federation seemed too much of a stretch. However, Lindsey was beginning to resign herself to the overwhelming evidence before her.

Lindsey gave the viewscreen in her quarters a blank stare. The two Romulan figures continued to move and talk, but Lindsey barely noticed. Her mind began to unravel the consequences of this new revelation. Once the Federation finds out that Gaiath's attacks were sponsored by the military and the peace treaty between the Federation and Romulus was being violated, Starfleet would have to respond. At which point Donatra might consider a preemptive strike. Various skirmishes would turn into battle, and soon the Alpha Quadrant would be drawn into another Federation-Romulan war. The weight of that thought, along with Lindsey's ever increasing weariness grew. Lindsey's vision blurred over, and she was about to turn off the display and get some sleep.

Then Lindsey saw something. It was subtle, but Lindsey swore she had seen it before. She backed the video a few seconds and watched Gaiath. He was being scolded by Donatra and was at a loss for words. He paused for a second as he searched for something to say to his female superior.

Lindsey stopped the video and backed up again. She focused on Gaiath's expression as he searched for an answer. She stopped and watched it again, and again, and again. She had seen that expression before, but it was not on Gaiath's face. It was on Picard's face! Picard had made the same expression when he had called her about this very assignment.

Lindsey watched the short segment five more times before she was convinced that she was not seeing things. She stopped the video all together and leaned back against her bed.

"That's not Gaiath," she said. Then she looked over at the image of the female Romulan. "And that's not Donatra." Then a new thought hit her with horror. "That wasn't Picard, and these are not Starfleet Intelligence officers."

Suddenly a flood of suppressed thoughts came to her. Ta'Prim's reluctance to let her leave the bridge. The armory officer not wanting to let Lindsey by him. The fact that they had quantum torpedoes, and nobody thought to mention it to her. And Shepherd's decision to withhold the boarding party, and destroy Gaiath's ship. All this only left Lindsey with one question.

Her shipmates: Who were they?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _Personal log, Cmdr. Lindsey Lander; stardate 57306.2: I am handwriting this log entry because I no longer feel safe recording my thoughts on the ship's computer. I have concluded that I have been deceived. My assignment on the_ Enquiry _is not legitimate. What's more: the crew on this ship is deliberately tampering with evidence._

 _What is their purpose? Are there others who have been deceived, or is everyone but me aware of what's really going on? Is there anyone on this ship I can trust? Until I learn more, I must assume that everyone on board is a conspirator. And I fully intend on learning more._

Lindsey barely slept that night. Her mind poured over all the possible explanations for the _Enquiry's_ actions, as well as over various plans of action. Lindsey had thought long and hard about how she could prove the video recordings were faked, but she concluded that her limited computer skills were not up to the task of out doing the genius Ens. Miller. She thought of breaking into the _Enquiry's_ central computer, but again realized that she lacked the skills.

Finally, Lindsey stopped trying to think like a computer genius or a spy, and instead thought like a battle strategist. When outnumbered by the enemy the best approach is to attack the weakest link. By morning she had thought up a plan.

Lindsey was walking down the corridor to the mess hall of the _Enquiry_. Instead of weaving her hair into her normal complex double braid, she simply had it pulled back in a single braid that started below her skull and ended down by her shoulder blades. She allowed her hair in the front to fall like bangs. She replaced her normal officer's formal stride with a casual and slightly swaying walk.

She entered the mess hall and casually approached the replicator. She dearly missed Chef's cooking. The _Enquiry_ did not even have a cook on board. Instead they were stuck with replicator meals, and a limited choice at that. Nonetheless Lindsey ordered scrambled eggs and toast. She then took her tray and scanned the room for someone to sit with.

However, Lindsey knew who her target was before she had even gotten out of bed. She spotted Ens. Miller at a table by himself, and she smiled as she knew that this was perfect. She walked over to his table and spoke. "Ensign, may I join you?"

Miller was startled and stood at attention, "Yes, of course Commander."

"Relax, Ensign, weren't not on the bridge. Sit down, please."

"Yes, Commander." The young man slowly sat down as Lindsey herself took her seat opposite him. While the young man still sat straight, Lindsey took a comfortable and casual position on her seat. She then began to shovel the eggs in her mouth without any sense of etiquette.

"Ah! These are terrible. You should come on board the _Orion_ sometime, Ensign. We have a gourmet chef on board. And you would be absolutely amazed at what he can do with eggs."

"I suppose so," answered Miller, still not sure of what to make of his first officer plopping down next to him for a casual breakfast. For Lindsey, this performance didn't take much acting. During her days at the Academy she a was less than the ideal cadet. All she had to do was revert to those days.

Lindsey spotted an uneaten strip of bacon on Miller's plate. "Are you going to eat that?"

"Ah, no."

Lindsey reached across the table, grabbed the bacon and promptly tore off a piece of it with her teeth. "Bacon's not bad," she said just before she swallowed. "Nor is this ship. I like the _Enquiry._ " Lindsey loosen her collar a bit. "It's small, cozy, and…" Lindsey looked directly at Miller. "It gets the job done." Then Lindsey gave Miller an almost flirtatious smile. "So, tell me, how was your first battle experience?"

"How do you know it was my first?"

Lindsey gave Miller a disappointed look. "Don't insult me, Kyle." Miller couldn't hide his surprise at Lindsey's sudden use of the young man's first name. "I'm the captain of a starship. It's my job to observe the crew. And I know when a crewman has had his first taste of combat. So…how was it?"

"It was…exhilarating. I was terrified, excited, and nervous all at once," said Ens. Miller, finally breaking out of his shell.

"Yeah, that about describes it," replied Lindsey. "I remember when I took command of the first _Orion_. My blood had never flowed like that before." That was a lie. Lindsey had felt no thrill the day her captain was killed, leaving her in command. "I still talk about it with my shipmates. There is a bond between those who have been in battle together. It is strong. You and I," Lindsey gave the slightest pause before adding, "and all the others on the _Enquiry_ now share this bond."

"I suppose so, but we won't be able to reminisce about this, with it being an Intelligence operation."

"We can talk about it now," said Lindsey. "And I have to say you did fantastic work."

"Thank you, Commander. It is not easy to download from one ship to the other."

"I wasn't talking about that." Miller looked confused, so Lindsey leaned in closer. "I've seen Gaiath personally. I've talked to him face-to-face. And when I saw your video, I couldn't even tell that it wasn't actually him. You will have everyone fooled."

"You…you know about that?"

"Of course, I do. You don't think Shepherd would make me his first officer and not tell such things." Lindsey knew that this was her moment on thin ice. Would Miller fall prey to her trick?

"I guess not," said Miller slowly, but then he leaned in to match Lindsey. "Are you one of us then? Are you an agent? Or are you like Thrim, a Starfleet officer who agrees with us?"

Lindsey had a choice. Which should she choose? "I am Starfleet through and through. However, my experience on the old _Orion_ made me realize that Starfleet, sometimes, simply cannot get the job done."

"Oh, Starfleet will get the job done once the war begins. They proved that with the Dominion," said Miller. "They just need a little push from Section 31 to get it started." Lindsey did everything she could to hide her shock behind her façade of eagerness. Miller continued, "And I bet you and Cmdr. Thrim will be on the front lines of the war."

"Indeed," said Lindsey as she summoned all her anger towards Romulans that she had repressed as a good Starfleet officer to aid her in her acting. "I can't wait." Then Lindsey relaxed and put on her quasi flirtatious smile again. By this time, Miller was used to her acting. "So, tell me, Kyle. Are you an agent?"

"Junior agent," corrected Miller. "I was kicked out of the Academy. I guess I was too radical and unpredictable for Starfleet. But Section 31 saw my talents and my desire to serve the Federation, so they picked me up."

"It's a good thing they did. We need people like you on our side," said Lindsey, not being entirely dishonest. Lindsey would have liked to have Miller on the _Orion_. With a little attention and guidance, he could have been an excellent Starfleet officer. Instead he had now taken up with whatever this 'Section 31' group was.

Lindsey decided she better quit while she was ahead. She stood up formal like. "Well, Ensign, thank you for letting me join you for breakfast."

"Anytime, Commander," said Miller caught off-guard by her formality, but he relaxed when Lindsey gave him a subtle wink.

Lindsey then walked away. Outwardly she was relaxed and casual. Inwardly she was terrified. She was on board a ship full of warmongers.

* * *

Henry and Worf entered the mess hall. A number of heads turned to see the famous Klingon Starfleet officer. Henry could see Lt. Raklok turn and see Worf just as he was leaving the mess hall. Since Worf had entered Starfleet a few other Klingons had also done so, but Worf and Raklok were still the great exception from the norm. Henry wondered if the two of them would actually meet while Worf was temporally stationed on the _Orion_.

"Have a seat, Commander," said Henry.

"Gladly," replied the Klingon.

"Our Chef is a master at all sorts of cuisine. Lt. Raklok, our resident Klingon, claims Chef makes the best gagh of any non-Klingon he's ever tried. But Raklok would complement Chef on anything, given his war hero status."

"Your cook is a warrior?" asked Worf.

"Was a warrior," corrected Henry. "He was a security officer on board the _Frederickson_ during the Dominion War."

"I remember the _Frederickson_ ," said Worf as Henry recalled that Worf had served extensively in the Dominion War both for the Federation and the Klingon Empire. "The _Frederickson_ was boarded, but its crew was able to fight off their attackers."

"Chef defended Engineering," said Henry. "And he did it again on the _Orion_ ¸ when Capt. Lander temporarily reinstated his commission."

"Then I will try his gagh. It is the least I could do for a fellow warrior."

Henry put in the order. Then he looked over the crew. They were all eating and carrying on as usual, or at least seemed so at first glance. But as Henry observed longer there was a certain nervousness to them. Many would try to steal a glance over towards Henry's table, and Henry believed it was not merely Worf's fame that was to blame. They wondered why an officer from another ship was on board, and where was their captain.

"You are disturbed, Commander," said Worf.

"You are a good read of human behavior," replied Henry.

"It has taken me a long time to develop that skill. I will not insult you by asking the obvious question."

"It's the crew, I'm concerned about. They are worried about their captain."

"And so are you."

"I am very worried about Lindsey." Henry became aware that he had just referred to his captain by first name, but for some reason he didn't care. "I won't let myself give up on her, but there is the sickening reality that she many already be dead. It haunts me day and night."

Chef arrived with their orders. There was indeed a plate full of still living worms wiggling on Worf's plate. Henry had briefly considered ordering the gagh for himself as well, but was now happy that he hadn't. He had instead ordered the one Earth meal that he thought might impress a Klingon, a steak medium rare.

"Capt. Lander is lucky to have such a loyal first officer," said Worf as he sampled some of the gagh. "Not bad."

"It's more than that," said Henry. He stopped sawing at his steak and suddenly looked Worf in the eye. "Have you ever dated someone within Starfleet, Commander?"

Worf's face did not show the surprise that Henry expected, but rather a somber look. "Yes, I have."

"Was it good? Bad?"

"Both," said Worf. "I do not regret courting the woman I loved and married. But it did affect my duties to Starfleet."

"You're married?"

"Was married," said Worf. "I lost her," and that was all that Worf said.

"I'm sorry."

"Why do you ask?"

Given Worf's openness, Henry felt it was only fair to answer his personal question. "Back at the Academy, Capt. Lander and I knew each other. In fact, we dated for three years. But it was nothing serious. It was actually rather childish. We went our separate ways, until we were both assigned to the _Orion_.

"We were barely shipmates a month before the senior staff was killed and we found ourselves captain and first officer of a starship in a desperate situation. There was no time to stop and reflect on relationships at that time. Afterwards Lindsey selected me as her first officer. I was honored and excited to serve with her. But the more I worked with her, the more my feelings for her grew."

"But you are her subordinate."

"Exactly," replied Henry. "And Starfleet regulations strictly forbid such relationships. So, I kept it all inside. Being around her was quite difficult, but now I know that it pales in comparison with being without her. I love her, Commander. And now she's missing in action."

Worf sat back, seemingly taking it all in. Henry watched his reaction for a while longer, before speaking again.

"I suppose, I shouldn't be telling you all this. After all you have the authority to take command of this ship if I appear to be incapable of doing the job."

"I do not know what you mean," said Worf.

"Go ahead, Mr. Worf. Look me in the face, and tell me that Capt. Picard did not give you that order. It is certainly within his authority as supervising captain to assign an acting captain to the _Orion_ if Capt. Lander or myself fail to be good leaders."

Worf held Henry's stare for a while, until he finally gave a sigh. "It is not honorable to lie to an ally. Yes, Capt. Picard has given me the authority to take command of the _Orion_ , if I deem it necessary."

"Good," said Henry. "Now that we have acknowledged that, let's make something clear. I am in command of the _Orion._ If, at some point, you deemed that I am unfit, you better exercise your orders instantly. But until that moment, you are on my ship and will follow my orders. Understood, Commander?"

Worf straighten in his seat. "Perfectly, Commander. I have no intention of taking your command for my own. I will do my duty."

"I believe you will, Mr. Worf. I think we see eye to eye."

* * *

The remainder of Lindsey's off duty hours wore on her. She had just learned of some shadow organization called Section 31, and that they were trying to start a war between the Federation and Romulus. But what was she to do with this information? Notify Starfleet? How? Even if she could get a message through, Section 31 would know. How far would they go to cover their tracks? Was Lindsey actually in danger?

Lindsey paced in her quarters, trying to problem solve her way out of this issue or wear out the deck plating trying. Finally, she collapsed on her couch with a sigh of defeat.

It was in that moment that Lindsey felt an incredible loneliness. She was on a ship filled with potential enemies. She had no idea who on the _Enquiry_ , if anyone, she could trust. It was a horrible feeling, second only to the feelings she experienced when her friends and crewmates were killed on the old _Orion._ But even then, she had people to help her carry that burden. She had Frank, Selina, Johnathan, Ryan, Chef. And she had Henry.

Lindsey's stomach turned sour as she thought of her first officer. He had been with her every step of the way. It was Henry that supplied the confidence she needed to captain a starship. It was Henry who shouldered her burdens. It was Henry who comforted her in her grief. It was Henry.

Tears were rolling down Lindsey's face. Some hidden part of her realized that she was not thinking of Henry simply as a good first officer. There was something else there. For all the people she missed in that moment, Henry was the one she missed above all, the one she wanted more than anyone else. In a way, Henry was the only one. If only she could talk with him, hear his voice, left him comfort her in this moment.

"Henry!" Lindsey stood from her couch, as a flash of inspiration hit her like a lightning bolt. "Talk to Henry." Lindsey began to nod her head. It wasn't a plan, but it was the beginning of a plan.

Lindsey's alarm chimed, informing her that her shift on the bridge was soon. She straighten her uniform, and composed herself. Then she marched straight to the bridge.

Lindsey reached the bridge, and found it quiet. Ta'Prim was at the science counsel searching for Gaiath's warp signature. The rest of the senior staff were off duty. Lindsey sat in the captain's chair, allowing the stillness of the bridge to facilitate her thinking.

"Curious, Commander, you are not bored anymore?" asked Ta'Prim as she turned from her science station.

"Huh?" Lindsey emerged from her own thoughts. "What do you mean?"

"Your usual fidgeting is no longer present," replied the Vulcan woman. "You seem more focused."

"Battle has that effect on humans," said Lindsey. "It will wear off eventually. Right now, I am thinking about Gaiath. How badly damaged is his ship? Now that he knows his normal strategy is useless against us, how will he proceed next time? It pays to use downtime to try and anticipate your enemy, and plan for his next attack." Of course, Lindsey was thinking far more about Section 31 than about Gaiath. Specifically, how she could get a transmission off the _Enquiry_ without Section 31 knowing.

"A wise and efficient use of time. I will leave you to your thoughts." Ta'Prim returned her attention to the science counsel.

Lindsey felt grateful to the Vulcan woman, despite the likelihood that she was a Section 31 agent. Lindsey needed the time to come up with a plan. And by the end of Lindsey's shift on the bridge, she had formed such a plan.

Thrim came onto the bridge. "Lt. Cmdr. Thrim reporting for duty."

"Nothing to report, Commander." Lindsey turned to the Vulcan. "Lt. Ta'Prim, do you wish to remain on the bridge?"

"I will continue my work into the next shift," she replied.

"Okay. Mr. Thrim, the bridge is yours. I am going down to Engineering before I go off duty. I want to make sure our cloak sensing equipment is ready for our next encounter with the Romulans."

"Understood, Commander," said the Andorian as he lowered himself into the captain's chair.

Lindsey entered the turbo lift, "Engineering." In a few seconds, she had arrived. "Lieutenant, how are our cloak busters?"

"Just fine, Commander," answered the engineer. "If the Romulans show up, we should be able to see them."

"I would like to test it myself. Set the deflector dish to send out a tachyon pulse. That should be reminiscent of a cloaked ship."

"Alright, I can send out the pulse now, sir."

"Negative," said Lindsey. "I would like to do it myself." She gave a slight smile to the engineer. "I am a hands-on captain."

"As you wish, Commander." The engineer allowed her access to the control panel.

Lindsey brought up the appropriate commands, and then tapped the execute button in a seemingly random pattern. Almost immediately the particles appeared on the sensor panel. Lindsey smiled. "Cmdr. Lander to the bridge, the sensor net appears to be working as normal. See the engineer's report for details. I am going off duty."

"Copy that Commander," replied Thrim.

Lindsey began walking back to her quarters, silently wishing that Henry would get her message.

* * *

Alivia O'Hara presented her datapad to Lt. Cmdr. Grant. "Is this the full list that you promised?" said Grant in a normal voice. Alivia was pleased to see that the security chief was looking her in the eyes and not staring at her green Orion skin.

"No, I plan to create a fuller list of all the parts needed to maintain a Romulan warbird. But these are the items I prioritized."

Grant began looking through the list. "What criteria did you use for prioritization?"

"Three criteria: First, what parts are likely to need replacing after both normal wear and tear as well as common battle damage; second, which parts are specific to Romulan ships; and third which ones are the hardest to acquire. This should narrow our search and help to avoid tracking parts that are being purchased by someone other than the Romulans."

Grant continued to look at the list. "I guess I'm going to have to trust you on that. This list means very little to me. I'm a cop, not an engineer."

"I could try and explain much of it. The top items are particular to their singularity warp cores…"

Grant put up his hand, "Save your breath, Lieutenant. I tried an engineering extension course at the Academy. I couldn't figure out Starfleet equipment, much less Romulan. I think the two of us should present this to Cmdr. Hickensen, right away."

Alivia was about to agree when her combadge chirped. "Lt. Raklok to Lt. O'Hara."

"This is O'Hara," answered Alivia.

"I think you should come to Engineering and look at this. We have picked up something on our anti-cloak sensors," said the Klingon engineer.

"A ship?!"

"Negative, we would have called the bridge in such a case. It's ahhh…You should come and see it."

"Understood, Lieutenant. I'm on my way." Alivia stood up from Grant's desk. "You are welcome to come along, Commander."

"Why not?" answered the security chief. The two of them left the security officer and proceeded to Engineering. As they arrived Alivia was rewarded with no heads turning her way. The Engineering staff had finally gotten used to having an Orion as their department head.

It only took a moment for Alivia to find the Klingon, Lt. Raklok. With him as always was Petty Officer Shelton. Both were leaning over a display. "Report," said Alivia.

"Lieutenant, we picked up a strange reading from our anti-cloak sensors," responded Raklok.

"The same sensors you built for the old _Orion_?" asked Lt. Cmdr. Grant.

"With some improvements," said Raklok with pride. Raklok's job on the _Orion_ was primarily to work with the sensors. His previous post was on outpost Beta-Gamma, where he built sensors to watch the Neutral Zone for cloaked ships. Raklok took a lot of pride in his work, which Alivia thought was appropriate. His modifications to the old _Orion_ gave them an advantage over their enemy, without which they probably would not have survived.

"What have you found?" asked Alivia.

"We're not sure," said Petty Officer Shelton. "It's definitely not a cloaked ship, nor it is a cloaked object of any kind." Alivia leaned in as Shelton stepped aside. "You see, it is some sort of particle emission. The particles are tachyons, and thus they showed up on our specially tuned sensors."

"I see that, Petty Officer. What do you make of it, Lieutenant?"

Raklok took in a big breath of air. "It might be nothing. Some spacial distortion, or explosion from a star or a black hole. But something about it seems artificial to me."

"What do you mean?" ask Cmdr. Grant. Alivia could already tell the security officer was concluding that it was a tactical concern.

Raklok answered, "At first it seems to fluctuate intensity at random; however, it might be some type of coded message."

"Coded message? For whom?" asked Alivia.

"Us, the Romulans. Who knows?" said Grant. "But it is in our best interest to figure it out. Lieutenant, transfer this data to the security data base. I would like to look at it."

"Put on my personal database as well," said Alivia. "And give it whatever time you can spare. The more minds on it the better."

Grant's badge chirped, "Lt. Cmdr Grant and Lt. O'Hara, please report to the Captain's ready room at your next earliest convenience," came Cmdr. Hickensen's voice.

Alivia gave a nod to Grant, who in turn replied to the first officer, "We are on our way now." As the two of them walked towards the bridge, Grant asked, "What do you think?"

"I think Raklok is right. This doesn't look random to me," replied Alivia as she looked at Raklok's report on a datapad.

They arrived on the bridge and proceeded immediately to the ready room through the portside door. In the room was Lt. Cmdrs. Hickensen and Worf. "Lt. O'Hara, do you have a list of Romulan parts we can track?" asked the first officer.

"Yes, Commander," she handed him one of her datapads. "This is a priority list. The easiest to track and the one's most specific to Romulan ships."

Worf looked over Hickensen's shoulder and nodded his approval. Hickensen turned to Grant, "Commander, have you devised a way to track these?"

"Starfleet Intelligence reports indicate a few known markets and black-markets in the vicinity of Gaiath's attacks where such supplies might be traded. The problem is that there is no way to track such goods unless we actually visit these places in person."

Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen took Grant's datapad. After studying it a bit, he tapped his combadge. "Helm, take us on the new heading I am sending you, warp 4." The helmsman acknowledged, and Alivia felt the _Orion_ changing its course. "So far this is the only lead we have, so I think we should follow it."

Grant looked at Alivia and gave her a nod, so she said, "Sir, it might not be our only lead."

Hickensen gave her an inquisitive look. "What do you mean?"

"Lt. Raklok received a strange reading on our sensors. Some sort of tachyon burst from several dozen light years away."

"What makes you think this has anything to do with Capt. Lander?" asked Worf.

"The distance and vector indicates its origin is near the area of Gaiath's operations, and only a sensor net like ours would have detected it. In addition, I think it is not a random burst, but perhaps an organized pattern."

"Put it on the viewscreen," said Hickensen with sudden interest. Alivia obliged him, and a line graph appeared.

"The spikes indicate increased intensity of the tachyon's."

"It does not look like any code I have seen," said Worf.

Hickensen stared at it for a while, before finally saying, "Computer, render this information as an audio file." The computer beeped and then played a horrible sound of mixing pitches. O'Hara wanted to comment on how it sounded like Klingon music, but she thankfully remembered Worf's presence. Hickensen responded by saying, "No, no, Computer, stop. Don't used varying pitches. Instead render it all on a single tone. Have the intense portions as a longer tone and the lighter portions a shorter tone."

This time the computer issued a series of beeping noises. Alivia's mind suddenly went back to her prep school days as she remembered that sound. "Morse code?!"

"Exactly," said Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen as he grabbed a data pad. Then he strained his ears. "Play it again, Computer." He then began typing something.

"I have not heard of this 'Morse code,'" said Worf.

"It's an old Earth code used for communications before the technology existed to transmit the sound of a person's voice. Various combinations of short and long tones represented different letters of the alphabet." said Alivia. "Computer, run this information through the universal translator, specifically as Morse code."

"Translation ready," said the Computer and then displayed the information on the viewscreen.

7SZCBTKNT3S13LHSBOUSWE4NYQ2R

Alivia's heart fell. "It means nothing."

"On the contrary," said Hickensen with an excitement that Alivia had never heard from him before. She took a moment to look at his data pad, and it had the same number-letter configuration that the Computer had come up with. Had he translated that by ear? "Not only is this a message, but it is from Lindsey."

"How can you tell?" asked Worf.

"The '3L.' That was Lindsey's old handle."

"Handle?" asked Grant. "You mean like a code name?"

"Yes, 'Triple L,' Lindsey Loraine Lander." The first officer smiled. "Her parents had a thing for alliteration."

"The two of you had a code?" asked Alivia.

"We took a history of Earth communications elective at the Academy. We thought it was easy credits, so we barely paid attention, except that we both decided to learn Morse code."

"Why?"

"To send secret messages we didn't want anyone else reading?"

"Such as?"

"Personal messages, Lieutenant." Alivia gave the Commander a puzzled look. "Alivia, we were only cadets at the time, not mature Starfleet officers."

"Oh…oh!" said Alivia as she finally understood.

"What was your handle?" asked Grant.

"Sorry, Frank, that will remain my secret," replied Hickensen.

"But anyone with half a brain would run your messages through the translator," said Alivia.

"Which is why we added another layer to our code," said Hickensen. "For one, the message always started with our handle. Computer, rearrange the message to start with '3L'"

The computer beeped.

3LHSBOUSWE4NYQ2R7SZCBTKNT3S1

"Now, delete every other letter starting with the 'H' after the 'L'."

3LSOSENQRSCTN31

"'3L' the Captain's handle," said Alivia.

"'SOS' 'Save Our Ship,' An old maritime distress signal," said Grant.

"So, what does 'ENQRSCTN31' mean?" asked Alivia.

Grant rubbed his chin in thought. "'SCTN looks like the word 'section' without its vowels. 'ENQR: enquire, maybe?"

"Enquire Section 31? What's Section 31?" Alivia turned to Hickensen. "Commander, do you…"

It was at that moment that Alivia noticed both Lt. Cmdrs. Worf and Hickensen were frozen in place as though in shock. "Commander?"

"Mr. Worf, I think you have a call to make."

"Yes, Commander, I think I do. I will require use of your subspace communications."

"Whatever you need," said Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen still in a trance. "Lt. O'Hara, is there anyone else working on this code?"

"Lt. Raklok and Petty Officer Shelton."

"Tell them to discontinue immediately. No one is to touch this. Mr. Worf and I will follow up this lead ourselves."

"I don't understand, sir."

"Just trust me, Lieutenant. When the time comes, I will tell you everything." Hickensen tapped his combadge. "Helm, increase speed to warp 7." Then he looked at Grant. "In mean time, we need to follow our previous lead. Frank, can you get a team together to track these Romulan parts?"

"I have a couple of security officers I can trust to do the job, but none of them will how to recognize the parts. I need an engineer."

Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen turned to Alivia. "Lt. O'Hara, do you have someone who could identify those Romulan parts by sight."

"No one, sir, but me."

Hickensen paused in thought, and then gave Alivia a full head to toe scan with his eyes. Alivia knew exactly what her commander was thinking, and she did not like it.

"Lieutenant, you better get ready for an away mission."

* * *

Worf sat down at the computer terminal in the quarters provided for him on the _Orion_. "Computer, subspace transmission to _Deep Space Nine_ , Lt. Dax." The subspace antenna sent its signal. It was received by _Deep Space Nine_ , and Worf waited for the other end to pick up. Eventually a young woman with the telltale spots of a Trill appeared on screen.

"Worf! I was so surprised to receive your communication. And especially surprised to see your request for counseling. I would have thought you would prefer Cmdr. Troi."

"Ezri, is it good to see you. But, I must confess, I have not called for a counseling session. I needed your counseling encryption to ensure that no one else is listening. As a fellow member of the house of Martok, I have an important favor to ask of you."

"Of course, anything," replied Ezri Dax.

"I need to speak to Dr. Bashir."

Ezri Dax frowned a bit. "You called to talk to Julian, not me? Why not call him directly? Julian has similar encryption codes to protect doctor-patient confidentially."

"Because I don't want anyone to know that I am talking to him."

"What is this about, Worf?"

"It is about Dr. Bashir's amoral friends."

"Oh! I'll get him right away."

It was only a few minutes before Ezri returned with Dr. Bashir. "Worf! Ezri won't tell me what this is all about."

"I do not wish to mention a certain group of your 'friends.' But I need you to add eighteen and thirteen."

"Are you serious?" replied Bashir, apparently not requiring even the shortest pause to do the math.

"Yes, I am serious."

"As you always are," remarked Bashir. "What have they done this time?"

"They have kidnapped a Starfleet captain. I am working with her first officer to find her."

"To what end?" asked Bashir. "What are they up to?"

"We think it has something to do with the Romulan terrorist Gaiath."

"Gaiath? The Romulan who attacked the _Orion_?" said Bashir. "Wait a minute, the captain kidnaped wasn't Lander, was it?"

"Yes."

"What makes you think Sect…our friends are involved?"

"Various things of which I do not wish to speak about. But we know that they have interfered with Romulan affairs before."

"And I unwittingly helped them," said Bashir with an angry tension in his voice. "What can I do to help?"

"Are you able to contact them or lead us in their direction?"

"My only contact with our friends died at the end of the Dominion War. I'm sorry Worf, I cannot help you." Bashir had a thoughtful look on his face. "But I might know someone who can."

"I am listening."

"With the Romulan incident, I was not the only Starfleet officer involved." Bashir looked around as if someone was watching. "Admiral Ross was aware of that operation. He is not a member of their group, but they worked together to ensure that Romulus would stay in the Alpha Quadrant alliance. He might know more."

"Admiral Ross? I cannot believe that he would compromise his Federation principles," said Worf.

"Inter arma enim silent leges. In times of war, the law falls silent. That's what he told me. We all did things we're not proud of during the Dominion War."

"Indeed," said Worf as bad memories of the war filled his mind. "Thank you, Dr. Bashir. I will make use of this information."

"Hold on, Worf," said Ezri. "You're going leave without talking to us further?"

"I have much work to do, Ezri."

"If you're so concerned about avoiding suspicion, then shouldn't this 'counseling' session last the full hour?" asked Ezri with that Dax smirk on her face that Jadzia had used on him so often.

"Very well, what do you wish to talk about?"

"You must have spent time on Earth during the _Enterprise's_ repairs," said Bashir with eagerness. "Did you visit with Miles? I've been meaning to call him for weeks. How are Keiko and the kids doing?"

Worf sighed. This was going to be a long hour.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 _Captain's Log; stardate 57308.8: The_ Enterprise _has return to Earth, delivering Ambassador Spock to his appointment with the Federation Diplomatic Council. Meanwhile, I have been asking around Starfleet Headquarters about Capt. Lander's disappearance. I have certainly caused a stir, but I am no nearer to finding her than when I arrived. However, I've just received a new lead from my first officer, whom I left on the_ Orion. _Hopefully this will be the thread that unravels the mystery._

Picard waited outside the office only for a second before he heard "enter" from inside. The door opened, and Picard walked into the office. Behind the glass windows was a spectacular view of San Francisco Bay. Behind the desk was a man with slightly greying hair. He wore a special admiral's cut of the red Starfleet uniform, and his rank insignia was that of a vice admiral.

"Captain Jean Luc Picard, it is a pleasure."

"The pleasure is mine, Admiral William Ross," said Picard after he accepted Adm. Ross's hand shake.

"I would love to catch up with you, Jean Luc, but the rumors I hear flying about tell me that you are here on business."

"You are correct, Admiral."

"So, it's true. A Starfleet captain has gone missing. This is not good, Jean Luc."

"You needn't remind me of that. It happened under my watch."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Ross.

"In fact, there is," Picard set the box that he was carrying on Ross's desk and opened it. "Please, Admiral, place your communicator in here and seal your office." Picard took off his own combadge and set it inside the box.

Adm. Ross looked nervous. "What is this about, Jean Luc?"

"I will tell you in a second. Please, Admiral." Picard indicated the box.

Ross gave a sigh of resignation. "Computer, seal my office, top security. Security code: Ross, William J. 5,5, beta, delta."

"Acknowledged, office secured." Ross took off his combadge and placed in into the box. Picard then sealed the box.

"Now, what can you tell me about Section 31?"

Ross's face got a bit whiter. "How do you know about them?"

"Frankly, I know very little about them. But I know some people who know some people who have had encounters with them. And one of those people said that you also have worked with them."

"Bashir! He's the only one that would know. Well, him and Agent Sloan."

"I think we should leave the good doctor out of this, if we can."

"And I would prefer to be left out as well, Picard," said Adm. Ross. "But, with a captain missing…What makes you think Section 31 is involved?"

"At first, it was just a hunch. A hunch that was not worth pursuing." Picard got up and walked to the replicator. "A legal pad, and a number two pencil." The replicator made the requested items. Picard began writing on the pad as he returned to his seat. "Not worth pursuing, that is until we received this message from Capt. Lander." Picard handed the pad to Ross.

"What is this?"

"A translation of a coded message hidden in a tachyon burst. Only a sensor grid designed to detect cloaked ships would have been able to pick it up. Fortunately, the _Orion_ has such sensors. It also has the one officer who could break the code, the _Orion's_ first officer Lt. Cmdr. Henry Hickensen. He and Capt. Lander developed this code when they were at the Academy, using Morse code and filter patterns. Crude, but effective." Picard leaned forward and pointed to the letters and numbers on the pad. "'3L' was Capt. Lander's handle, 'SOS' a distress signal, we think ENQR is a request for us to enquire into something, and 'SCTN 31,' well, now you know where we've drawn our conclusion."

"Hardly a sure thing, Picard," said Adm. Ross.

"But enough to investigate, Admiral."

Ross leaned back in his chair. "I am not a member of Section 31, Jean Luc; nor was I ever. They are a ruthless organization with no moral code or ethical principles, except that the good of the Federation is the only good. But kidnapping a Starfleet captain is fairly high profile for them."

"Capt. Lander is not the most known captain in Starfleet," said Picard.

"But she is known well enough. Everyone has heard the story of the lieutenant who saved her ship and crew from a rogue Romulan colonel. What worries me, Jean Luc, is that Section 31 must be up to something big."

"Perhaps, we should let it happen," said Picard. "After all, they are acting in the interest of the Federation."

Ross looked dumfounded at first, but then a look of anger came to his face. "You do me wrong, Picard! You really think that I would support such a group?"

"You have in the past, Admiral."

Ross's anger left his face and was replaced with something almost like sadness. "We were at war, Jean Luc. I was afraid that our alliance with the Romulans wouldn't hold. We needed them to defeat the Dominion. We needed an ally on the Romulan Continuing Council. Section 31 had a plan to do just that. I thought at the time that we could bend the rules a bit to defend the Federation."

"Inter arma enim silent leges," said Picard.

"Exactly. I see you really have talked to Bashir," Ross softly pounded his fist on his desk. "What I didn't realize back then is that Section 31 is not just simply willing to bend the rules; they down right break them."

"To what are you referring?"

"Mind you, Jean Luc, I have no proof of this. But I suspect that they are the ones to have developed and planted the disease that nearly killed the Founders."

"Genocide?! That goes against everything the Federation stands for," said Picard in shock.

"Like I said, I have no proof. But Bashir somehow magically came up with a cure, that I suspect he somehow got from Section 31. But only he and Sisko know the truth. Sisko is gone, and Bashir would be wise to keep silent.

"The point is, Jean Luc, I do not trust Section 31," said Ross emphatically. "They answer to no one. Once they get an idea in their heads about what's in the best interest of the Federation they pursue it at all costs. Not only do they violate everything they stand for; but with no checks on their actions, they have the potential to destroy us all."

"Which is why we must be their check!" said Picard as he angrily pounded Ross' desk. "Is there any way you can contact them?"

"No," said Ross with such disappointment in his voice that Picard believed him. "I haven't even seen Agent Sloan since that trip to Romulus. For all I know, he might be dead. There is nothing I can do to directly go after Section 31."

"Then do something indirectly, Admiral."

"What do you propose, Captain?"

"You've heard the rumors. We believe former Romulan Colonel Gaiath is involved in this."

"Yes, we sent Capt. Erika Benteen and the _Lakota_ to deal with Gaiath."

"Send the _Enterprise_ and the _Orion_ as well. The _Orion_ is already on its way, and they are working on ways to track Gaiath by following the parts he needs for his fleet. Sign the orders, but keep them hidden. Section 31 will not know that we are coming."

"Very well, Picard. The reassignment of these ships will stay between us, mostly. But if you really want to hide your approach, you should go visit Adm. Janeway. Kathryn is tenacious when one of her people is in trouble, and, if I recall correctly, Capt. Lander is a favorite of hers. Ask her to dig into Starfleet Intelligence. Hopefully, Section 31 will be too busy hiding themselves from her to notice the _Enterprise_ and the _Orion_."

"Thank you, Admiral," Picard reached to open the sealed box and return the Admiral's communicator, but Ross stopped him.

"Jean Luc, two last things. First, I know violated my principles working with Section 31, but please know that I do not look back on that with pride, nor am I willing to get into bed with them again.

"Second," Ross paused. "Lander is one of our own. Bring her back, Jean Luc, bring her back."

"Understood, Admiral."

* * *

Lt. O'Hara figured a strip of gold pressed latinum. "Strange."

"What's strange?" asked Lt. Rikka Nolean, the Bajoran security officer Cmdr. Grant had chosen for the mission.

"My people, the Orions, particularly the Orion Syndicate will do horrible things, just for this." She tossed the piece of currency to Rikka.

"I suppose that might seem strange to someone who grew up in the Federation," replied Rikka. "Before the occupation, we had a currency system on Bajor. The provisional government reenacted it, but it never caught on."

"Why not?"

"Two reasons. First because joining the Federation seemed inevitable."

"And the Federation doesn't use currency," added Alivia.

"Right. The second is that the wormhole made Bajor an interplanetary trading force. With all the business on _Deep Space Nine_ , and the Ferengi influence, many merely adopted gold pressed latinum as their currency."

The communications sounded in the ship, and Lt. Cmdr. Grant's voice came from the cockpit. "We are beginning our descent into the atmosphere. Hold on, ladies, it might get bumpy."

Alivia grabbed a hold of a nearby handle. "Where did Cmdr. Grant find this hunk of junk?"

"The _Stellar Sprint_?" Rikka waved her hand to encompass the small freighter they were on. "You'd be surprised what we could get our hands on when we were in the Maquis," said Rikka.

"You were never in the Maquis," said Alivia.

"Just trying to get into character," said Rikka. "I was trained to defend starships, not pretend to be a terrorist turned arms dealer."

"And I fix starships. I am not supposed to do…" Alivia wrapped her cloak tighter around her, "…this. And I would prefer to delay getting into character as long as possible."

Rikka gave her a genuine sympathetic look. "I don't envy you. And I would not want to be in your place."

Alivia endured a couple bumps. "It is the only logical thing to do. I am the only one on the _Orion_ that can identity the parts we're looking for. But if I, an Orion, go down there looking like an engineer, then they will all know that I'm Starfleet."

"Why couldn't you be a business partner like me?"

"No one would buy that either. The only possible cover for me is this." Alivia opened her cloak and revealed her outfit, or perhaps lack thereof. She wore only the skimpiest outfit which was designed to be pleasing to the eyes of less than reputable men. It was a fitting outfit for an Orion slave girl. It was doubly hard for Alivia, because she had been trying her whole life to be free from that very image, and now she had to actually pretend to be what she hated.

"Your outfit is not much better," said Alivia, trying to divert her shame.

Rikka, furrowed her nose a bit which her Bajoran ridges exaggerated. "No, I don't think so. Compared to you, I'm dressed like a vedek." Rikka wore a tunic overlaid with leather armor and a leather belt, complete with a combat dagger. Aside from a plunging neck line, Rikka was fully clothed. "But you know the first rule of undercover work. Use whatever you can to distract them from your real identity. Like Cmdr. Grant's flashy Klingon mek'leth strapped to his back.

"Yes, but the Commander gets to add to something to his outfit, I have to…" Alivia stopped. "It is what it is."

The freighter set down, and Grant came out of the cockpit area. "We're here. A nice reputable city, with a perfectly dishonest underworld. The perfect place to pick up some Romulan hardware." Grant too was disguised as an arms dealer, and he did indeed have a Klingon battle blade strapped to his back. He pulled out a number of handheld energy weapons from a compartment.

"Romulan disruptors?" asked Alivia.

"We're in the market for Romulan weapons. We should look like we've done this before."

"Which we haven't," Alivia pointed out. "Where did you get them?"

"They were used by the Romulans who boarded the old _Orion_. I requested to keep a handful on our new ship. I guess I was right to do so." Grant handed Rikka one, which she promptly strapped to her hip. Grant put one on his right hip and a second on his left, butt forward for a cross draw.

"Do I get one?" asked Alivia.

"You are not trained in how to use them. They are a bit different from Federation phasers. Besides, your character would not be allowed to carry a weapon, and there is no place for you to conceal even a small phaser."

"No gun for the slave girl."

"If it comes to a fire fight, stay close to Rikka." Grant adjusted his belt one last time. "Does everyone know their backstory?"

Rikka answered first, "My name is Olna Mika. You and only you can call me Mika." Rikka pointed at Grant. "I was born in a Bajoran resistance cell during the occupation. My parents died shortly afterwards, and I was raised by terrorists. After the occupation ended I could find no place on the new, peaceful Bajor. I joined the Maquis so I could continue the fight. I survived the Dominion War, and now I am a weapons dealer."

"That's quite detailed," said Grant. "I would keep that in your résumé if you ever want a job at Starfleet Intelligence." Grant then puffed his chest a bit. "I am Victor Axeman, a space born human. My father was a pirate. I grew tired of the life of looting and pillaging, so I ventured in to the more humane occupation of dealing weapons."

"Great for you, Vic. I'm proud of you," joked Rikka.

Alivia snorted, "I am an unnamed Orion slave girl. I belong to Vic here. I was born of a slave, I live as a slave, and I will die as a slave."

Grant looked at Alivia. "I am sorry about this. But we need your engineering expertise. Have you figured out how to communicate without being noticed?"

"I have a few ideas." Alivia stood from her seat. "Well, we probably should get ready." She dropped her cloak and practiced moving in her almost none existent outfit. Then she noticed Grant staring. "Vic, I've been your slave for months. You'd think you would be used to me by now."

Grant broke his stare. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

* * *

It was extremely difficult for Lindsey to pretend like nothing was amiss on the _Enquiry_. But if she revealed her misgivings to anyone, she feared that she would be in great danger. So, she continued as though nothing had changed. She even continued log entries, but she kept her real thoughts on a pad of paper that she concealed in her quarters.

After a few days of this pretending Lindsey was about to burst. But she passed her anxious tension off as a result of the frustrating search for Gaiath. If that indeed was her primary concern, then it would have been a frustrating one.

"Ta'Prim, why can we not find a warp signature?" asked Shepherd. All the senior officers were gathered in the _Enquiry's_ conference room to discuss the problem.

Ta'Prim took Shepherd's question. "To the best I can tell, Gaiath's ship is not at warp. They must be running at impulse or standing still."

"Have we explored other ways of tracking them?"

"There are no other ways," answered Ta'Prim. "With their cloak they can mask almost any detectible readings."

"They're running silent," said Lindsey barely above a whisper.

"What did you say?" asked Thrim. Since the battle, Lindsey had noticed the Andorian paying more attention to her. Perhaps she had earned his respect.

"They're hiding," said Lindsey.

"To what end? They can't hide forever," said Shepherd.

"Repairs," proposed Lindsey. "I did the same thing when Gaiath was hunting me. I shut down all none essentials to minimize detection. And it worked. Gaiath passed within seven kilometers of us. With their cloak, the Romulans will be even better at it."

Ta'Prim nodded, "The Commander's logic is sound."

"So, you're saying we can't find them!?" shouted Shepherd, his anger boiling over.

"Not until they start moving again," said Lindsey, trying to calm Shepherd with a soft tone of voice. Captain, or was it Agent, Shepherd's anger seemed out of proportion to Lindsey, and certainly not that of a Starfleet captain. All the more evidence that Shepherd wasn't Starfleet. Now that Lindsey knew the truth, she could see evidence all around her. What was Section 31 doing running a starship?

"By the time they move again, they will have made their repairs," said Ta'Prim. "It will become hard to track them."

"How will they make repairs?" asked Thrim. "We hit them hard, they will need supplies. But if they are not moving, how will they get those supplies."

"He must have some support ships." said Lindsey before she remembered that she shouldn't be helping Section 31 find Gaiath. But it was too late, she had the room's attention. "Shuttles, small freighters, and the like. They might be cloakable, but we may still be able to detect their warp signatures if we broaden our search beyond just Romulan ships."

"We would detect every vessel in the sector," said Ta'Prim.

"Not necessarily," responded Thrim. "Starfleet Intelligence must have a record of suspected black markets. We start our search there, and see if any warp signatures lead back to the area where we suspect Gaiath is lurking. If we can find him before his repairs are complete, it should be easy to…" Thrim paused. "…board his ship and take him prisoner."

Lindsey watched as Shepherd looked to Ta'Prim for a second option. The Vulcan woman merely raised her right eyebrow. Lindsey in turn gave him a shrug of the shoulders and a slight nod. "Sounds like a plan to me. Ta'Prim, make it happen. Dismissed."

As she was leaving Thrim approached her, "May I walk with you, Commander."

"Of course," said Lindsey, not sure why the Andorian wanted to speak with her.

"I am not going to lie to you, Commander. I thought that you had earned your fame simply through dumb luck. I never thought of you as a real battle commander. I guess I feel that way about anyone who never served in the Dominion War."

"The Dominion War was going on when I joined the Academy, but was over by the end of my first year. I never had to fight in the war. But, I won't lie to you either. There was plenty of luck when I commanded the old _Orion_."

"Nonetheless, you have impressed me, Commander. You have a mind for battle strategy. I would have gladly fought next to you against the Dominion."

"I would have done so too. Back in my Academy days, I thought battle was exciting and even romantic. But I have since learned that is not true. I guess I wouldn't make a good Klingon warrior."

Thrim grew suddenly serious. "War is brutal. War is ruthless. And you need to become ruthless to fight a war. That is a lesson you may soon need to learn."

"I still hope to avoid any war."

"Of course," said Thrim as he seemed to force a smile. However, his words were ice. "But if war breaks out, those hopes will not save you or your friends. Kill or be killed: that is war." Thrim suddenly turned down a different corridor, leaving Lindsey at a loss for words. What had happened to that man?

* * *

Lt. Cmdr. Ulysses 'Frank' Grant, aka 'Victor Axe' walked down the streets looking at different shops and stores. Most of them had a legitimate face, although they were only half efforts. Grant saw a florist with two pots of dead plants. Once inside he found that they sold an assortment of Cardassian, Jem'Hadar, and Breen equipment. This city was awfully comfortable with its black market.

Grant was finding himself getting increasingly comfortable in his disguise. His clothing fit well, and he even got used to the feel of the heavy Klingon blade on his back. He also discovered that the best way to blend in was to simply hold the gaze of anyone who made eye contact with him. That way he didn't look as though he was hiding something, and it gave him the confidence of the experienced arms dealer he was supposed to be.

But there was one aspect of this undercover assignment he was really struggling to get used to, Lt. Alivia O'Hara. The Orion engineer had been, ever since Grant had first met her three months ago, professional and formal. He had never even seen her in casual attire, but always in full uniform. Now she was wearing next to nothing and hanging onto his arm. Whenever they would stop she would smoother him with attention, like a good Orion slave girl. All the while she used her proximity to him to send little messages about the different shops they had seen. She would squeeze his arm when she saw a good prospect. Sometimes she would even whisper in his ear. How she was managing this excellent acting performance as a slave was beyond Grant's understanding, because he was struggling to act as the slave owner.

Grant's particular struggle was because he had been raised by his mother to be a gentleman. He had been shocked in prep-school and even at the Academy with his classmates' behavior towards women. He would have thought that his fellow 'enlightened' men wound have a less hedonist attitude towards dating and women. But Grant had been taught a long time ago that lust was no route to love.

But now, he was supposed to embody the very nature of lust just as O'Hara was to embody the very nature of temptation: a slave owner and his slave girl.

What made it worse was that O'Hara was a woman that Grant respected. She was the chief engineer on the _Orion_ and a fellow senior officer. He had admired her for her intelligence and for the way she held herself. There was a certain elegance to her that went far beyond mere skin deep good looks. But would Grant ever be able to look at her the same way after this? Would this experience forever color Grant's perspective on her, and her perspective on him? Would this ruin any chance of a friendship or even damage a working relationship?

A strong squeeze on his shoulder interrupted Grant's thoughts. He walked O'Hara to the side of the street, where she planted a kiss right on his lips. Then she whispered in his ear. "Two shops on the right. There is advanced Romulan equipment on display. Not obvious, but there. Perhaps a subtle form of advertising. Hopefully, he has what we are looking for."

"What about that Ferengi establishment back a ways?"

"All he has out front is junk. And overpriced junk, at that."

"Alright let's go." Grant planted another kiss on O'Hara's lips, then he put his left arm around her waist and walked towards the shop. Lt. Rikka walked on O'Hara's left, keeping a sharp eye on her surroundings. Grant had observed that Rikka was also quite the actress.

It wasn't until they entered the shop that someone greeted them. "Welcome to my humble abode." Grant couldn't recognize what species this alien belonged to, but his appearance was only slightly different than a human. "What brings you by my establishment? I don't advertise much. A friend tell you about me?"

"A sharp eye," said Grant. "I noticed your display. There is a fine assortment of Romulan goods in the midst of the junk."

"A sharp eye indeed," said the shop keeper. "With the goods I trade in, it doesn't pay to deal with the uneducated. You noted the Romulan goods I have. Lots of Romulan salvage since the Dominion War. But I only deal in the finest. What kinds of things are you looking for? More disruptors? I have some type-3 models here."

"No, we're looking for a different category of items: Romulan starship parts, the good ones. Mika, give him the list."

Lt. Rikka handed her datapad to shop keeper. "Well, well, well, what are you up to?" asked the shop keeper. "Trying to maintain a warbird by chance?"

"No, but I know people who know people who are doing just that. I'm an arms dealer. And I think this would be a profitable endeavor."

"Arms dealer, huh. What's your name?"

"Victor Axeman. I go by Vic or Victor Axe."

"Never heard of you."

"Good."

"How about you, missy. What's your name?"

Lt. Rikka stepped forward, "My name is Olna Mika. You will call me Olna; not Mika and certainly not 'missy.'"

"Where are you from Miss. Olna?"

"Bajor, northern agricultural province."

"That was deemed infertile and desolate."

"Thanks to the Cardassians," said Rikka with a bitter voice. "When farming fails on Bajor the farmers become terrorists."

"A resistance fighter. I like that," the shop keeper was flirting with Rikka, but she was having none of it. "What about after the occupation? Did you farm?" Grant knew that the shop owner was testing Rikka in case she was a Federation spy, which she was. Grant silently hoped that Rikka's acting talent could pass the test.

"I tried civilian life, no good. I joined the Maquis, so I could keep fighting the Cardassians."

The shop owner tried again. "I suppose you still would like to fight them. Pay them back for all they did to your home."

At that Rikka laughed out loud. "The Cardassians got all that they deserved at the end of the Dominion War. I am satisfied. But being a wanted terrorist by both the Cardassians and the Federation, I needed a new life. I ran guns for the Maquis. Now I run weapons with Vic here."

"So, if I look up the name Olna Mika, I will find a wanted poster?"

"You will find an old lady, who died of heart failure at the age of ninety-eight in her home, with her family, back on Bajor. Her name suits me…for now."

The shop owner smiled, and Grant knew that Rikka had pasted his test. "Very well, let me take a closer look at your list." The owner read for a while before speaking again. "Well, this is interesting. I have many of these items, including the quantum singularity regulators. The interesting part is that I already have a buyer for these items."

"What is he offering you?" asked Grant, trying to keep his heart from racing. If this other buyer was one of Gaiath's people, then he might have just found the gold mine he had been searching for.

"She is offering me a very generous supply of deuterium and a very large assortment of other items. I think she is rather desperate to get these supplies."

"Very interesting, but none of that is easy to sell," said Grant. "If you make that trade, you will be sitting on a ridiculously large inventory that will take years to sell. And you would have to open your shop up to the 'uneducated.' You would cease to be a specialist and become a general store."

"But I can't refuse such a payday." Then with a cunning voice the shop keeper continued. "Unless you have a better offer."

Grant smiled as his negotiation was working. "I have latinum."

"How much latinum?"

"Several hundred bars of gold pressed latinum," said Grant. He had, in fact, the _Orion's_ entire discretionary fund.

"Why would anyone carry that much latinum?"

"I just completed a major deal, the details of which I will not share. But the man who raised me told me, 'Son, never let your latinum sit. It's gotta work for you, boy.'"

"Sound advice," said the shop keeper. "And now its burning a hole in your pocket, as the human expression goes."

"Exactly, and my sources say that the market for Romulan military equipment is good; dangerous and volatile, but good. With the recent attacks on Federation bases, Starfleet will soon be investigating, if they haven't already. It's seller's market."

"But I am the seller, and you are the buyer," said the owner.

"True, but I think my latinum is a better sale than my competitor's random list of pirate loot. You can use it to make your next investment, the same as I am right now."

"You are good," said the shop keeper. "I think you have earned the right to join the bargaining table. My customer is due any minute. Please, make yourself at home."

To Grant's relief, it only took about five minutes for the other party to arrive. He wasn't sure how much longer he could pretend to be entertained by O'Hara. He certainly couldn't imagine what it was like for her.

It came as no surprise for Grant to see two Romulans, one man, one woman, walk into the store. "Ahh, Miss. Tal'Igna. It is good to see your shining face," said the shop keeper.

"Who is this?" demanded the stern Romulan woman, whose face was anything but shining.

"These people have presented me with an interesting offer for the very supplies that you wish to purchase."

"Wish to purchase? We had an agreement." The Romulan woman's anger was barely controlled. It made Grant wonder what it would be like to see a Vulcan with such rage. He decided he would rather not find out.

"I do not consider any deal final until the goods are exchanged. Now, you have offered me a generous supply of goods in exchange for this equipment. But Mr. Axeman and his associate have offered me a small fortune of latinum, which I find more appealing. Can you provide a counter offer?"

The Romulan woman, Tal'Igna, was at a loss for a moment. "I can increase our payment by 15%."

"Another 15% of random goods is not going to help you. I believe that Mr. Axeman's offer is the better one for me." The shop keeper waited a bit longer, while Tal'Igna stood by helplessly. "Well, I am sorry. Perhaps we can do business in the future. Now, Mr. Axeman, let's arrange delivery."

The Romulans headed to the door, but before they walked out, Tal'Igna whispered in an ominous voice. "Be careful who you make enemies of, human."

Grant replied, "I don't intend on making enemies. Quite the opposite in fact. Just remember…" Grant added emphasis, "…I am a business man."

Tal'Igna backed away and looked at Grant, as though she was trying to figure out if she understood him correctly. Grant gave her a little smirk and a wink to confirm her suspicions. The Romulan gave him a suspicious look and walked away.

* * *

Exhausting, humiliating, and torturous were three words that described Alivia's experience as a slave girl. The only plus was that she now understood just a bit of what her birth mother had to live with. However, Alivia was on the edge of fury, thinking that it had all been for nothing.

She managed to keep her anger under wraps until the details were settled. After that she walked back to the ship, hanging on to Lt. Cmdr. Grant's arm the whole time. Once they finally were inside their ship, Alivia was finally able to speak. "What just happened!? I thought we wanted the Romulans to get the equipment. How are we supposed to track it if it is in our hold?"

Grant put his finger to his lips. "Keep your cover. Do not underestimate Romulan espionage skills. And I fully expect them to come here."

"You're right, they're already here," said Rikka.

"Mika, grab that disruptor. Cover me from the hatch." Grant pointed to Alivia. "Come with me." Alivia followed Grant out of the freighter. Before them stood the Romulan woman. Her male companion was ten steps behind her and to the side, disruptor drawn. Rikka was only half exposed in the freighter's hatch with a Romulan disruptor rifle aimed at their guests.

The Romulan woman spoke, "You said you were a business man. You have what I want. Can we talk?"

"Music to my ears," replied Grant.

"I will increase my offer another 10%."

"I only take what I can fit in my hold. And your supplies are more useless to me than to that shop owner."

"Then why invite me here?" asked the Romulan woman in anger.

"Because you do have something I want." Grant left Alivia as he took a few friendly steps towards the Romulans. "You are no pirate, nor an arms dealer. Try as you might, you can't shake the military from your step. I would guess you are a sub…no, a full ranked lieutenant in the Romulan military."

The woman's reaction seemed to support Grant's theory, and Alivia became very interested in Grant's scheme. "What difference does that make?"

"You certainly didn't travel here on a warbird. I imagine however that you came in a freighter not unlike my own. And I bet that freighter has a cloaking device."

"Absolutely not!" shouted the Romulan. "I will not give you a cloaking device."

"Why not!" said Grant lifting his arms to aid the expression. "You can disappear well enough without it. Look at it from my perspective, I'm a weapons dealer. The ability to travel under cloak would absolutely pay for itself. And I suspect that you really need these items in my possession. I am willing to give you a straight trade. All my most recent purchases for your cloaking device."

The Romulan woman shook her head to herself, and Grant taunted her. "I guess I was right the first time. Just a sub-lieutenant." Grant looked back at Rikka. "She doesn't have the authority to make this deal." Then he returned to the Romulan. "Why don't you go back to your superiors, and they can come make this deal, Sub-lieutenant Tal'Igna.

"It's Sub-commander!" shouted the Romulan. Alivia noticed that Grant had just convinced the woman to confirm his suspicions. Now if only he could make the deal.

Sub-commander Tal'Igna thought for a moment longer, and finally she gave in. "Fine, you have a deal. We will bring our freighter here. You will have your cloaking device once we have our cargo."

"Deal," said Grant. "It was nice doing business with you." All he got in return from Tal'Igna was a Romulan curse word.

After the Romulans left, Alivia and Grant returned to the ship. With a stern look from Grant, Alivia kept her silence as a good slave girl. The shopkeeper delivered the goods. Alivia evaluated it from a distance and confirmed it was good. Then the Romulan freighter came. The goods were loaded, and the cloaking device installed.

Finally, they took off and entered warp. Alivia took a tricorder and searched as hard as she could for bugs and listening devices. When she was convinced they were clean she broke her silence. "Nothing, we're clean."

"Excellent, now you can go back to being an engineer. Let's see if we can get that cloak working."

"Yes, sir." Alivia turned back to Grant. "Sir, getting them to give up their cloak was brilliant. I wasn't sure how well the tracker I designed would work once they were cloaked."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Grant looked at Alivia. "And your performance was…convincing. I know we asked a lot of you, but you delivered. And I know you might have been around me enough for a couple years, but I think the three of us on this away mission have earned a couple rounds at the Orion's Club."

"Sounds good," said Alivia. "I'll join you after I take a three hour sonic shower and replicate a fresh new uniform."

"Same here," said Rikka.

"Alright, let's finish strong. O'Hara, get that cloak online. I will contact the _Orion_."

* * *

"Commander," came Lt. Mikkelson's voice from the bridge. "We have an incoming transmission on the _Orion's_ priority signal."

"Patch it to the ready room," responded Henry. "Capt. Picard, Mr. Worf." The captain and the first officer of the _Enterprise_ whom Henry had been meeting with stood up and joined Henry on the captain's side of the desk.

Lt. Cmdr. Grant came on the viewscreen still wearing his undercover garb. "Cmdr. Hickensen, Capt. Picard, Cmdr. Worf, I report our mission was successful. We found a Romulan contingent that is mostly likely working for Gaiath, and we sold them the supplies they needed. Business was so good I decided to throw in an active tracking beacon free of charge. I am transmitting the frequency now. We should be able track them right to Gaiath's fleet or at least one of his ships. As a further contingency, we are able to follow them at a distance. Requesting permission to do so."

"Excellent work, Commander," said Henry as he transferred the frequency to the operations station. "Following them entails too much risk for detection."

"We've taken steps to minimize that risk."

Henry didn't understand what Grant was talking about. "How will the tracking device work under Romulan cloak."

"The Romulan freighter is unable to cloak, sir."

Unable to cloak? Thought Henry. And Grant claims to have a way around detection. "You said you sold them the equipment. How did they pay you?"

Grant looked uncomfortable. "I would rather discuss that in person, Commander."

"Understood," said Henry. Did Grant just buy a Romulan cloaking device? "Continue as you propose, but detection is not an option. If that danger arises, you are to break off your pursuit immediately."

"Yes, sir. Grant, out."

"Lt. Chaput, have you found the tracker frequency I send you?" Henry asked over his combadge.

"Yes, Commander. It is a strong and clear signal."

"Send it over to the _Enterprise._ " Henry turned to Picard. "Captain, you're the senior officer and the captain of the tactically superior vessel. I yield to your orders."

"Of course, Commander. You and your crew have done an amazing job. You will accompany the _Enterprise_ on a pursuit coarse. Send the tracker frequency to the _Lakota_ as well. Go to yellow alert and prepare the _Orion_ for battle."

"Yes, sir. Will you be taking your first officer with you?" Picard hesitated and then looked at Worf. Before he could say anything, Henry added another comment. "Captain, your first officer and I have come to an agreement about the command of the _Orion_. He is more than welcome to stay."

"Glad to hear that, Commander," said Picard. "Mr. Worf, you will stay with the _Orion._ Now, if you excuse me, Commander, I have a ship to prepare."

* * *

Ta'Prim watched as Cmdr. Lander and Agent Shepherd walked on the bridge at about the same time. "Report!" said Shepherd in his best captain's voice. Ta'Prim's inward doubts about her lead agent surfaced again. While Shepherd's general plan was good, parts of it were flawed, including his role as captain. Ta'Prim wondered if that part of the plan had arisen from Shepherd's emotional desire to be a starship captain, something that his Starfleet career had denied him.

"Miss. Ta'Prim believes she has found Gaiath's support ship. Lieutenant, please explain," said Lt. Cmdr. Thrim as he directed everyone's attention towards her.

"We've detected a small freighter traveling from one of the known black markets directly towards the area I labeled as Gaiath's most possible location."

"Cloaked?"

"No, sir."

Shepherd smiled and turned towards Lander. "Well, Commander, you might get another shot at Gaiath after all." Lander only gave a slight nod. Lander hid her emotions well for a human, but Ta'Prim thought she noticed a hint of alarm on the woman's face.

"Set course," said Shepherd eagerly.

"And go to yellow alert," said Lander. "This ship needs to be battle ready. I am going down to Engineering to make sure everything is ready."

"Why?" asked Ta'Prim. "Their last report was good."

"I want to double check. Besides, it is tradition that a commander tours the ship before a major battle. History might remember this as the first battle of a war."

Ta'Prim watched as Lander walked off the bridge. What she said was another example of human illogic, but the way she proceeded and carried herself implied a logic that Ta'Prim felt she wasn't privy to. There was also the noted absence of Lander's earlier suspicions. "Capt. Shepherd, may I have a word with you."

Shepherd looked surprised, "Sure. My ready room?"

Ta'Prim nodded, and the two of them went into the ready room. "What is it, Agent Ta'Prim?"

"Agent Shepherd, I am concerned about Lander. Something is not right."

Shepherd looked hard at Ta'Prim. "Do you have anything beyond just suspicion?"

"This is not what you humans call a 'gut instinct.' I based this suspicion on observation. She has been quiet, and unquestioning. She seems to be all in on our project. This does not seem to be behavior consistent with my previous experiences of her."

"Cmdr. Thrim and Ens. Miller come to my ready room."

The stern Andorian and the young human entered. "Cmdr. Thrim, Agent Miller, what are your impressions of Cmdr. Lindsey Lander?"

Thrim spoke first, "She is a solid tactician. She has command skills that make her worthy of her rank. She is also a solid Starfleet officer."

"Yeah," said Kyle Miller. "I'm glad she's on our side."

Ta'Prim and all the others suddenly turned towards Miller who shrank into a corner, trying to figure out what he had said wrong. "What do you mean, 'our side'?" asked Shepherd.

"Section 31, sir. I know she's Starfleet, but she's with us, right? Just like him." Miller pointed to Thrim.

"We never told you that," stated Ta'Prim. "Drawing assumptions is illogical, Agent Miller."

"No, you didn't, but…but she did."

Now Shepherd was alarmed. "Did she use the term, 'Section 31'?"

"I…I don't know. But she knew that I had faked the conversation between Gaiath and Donatra."

"Where did she say she was going?" asked Shepherd.

"Engineering," replied Ta'Prim.

"Computer, is Lindsey Lander in Engineering?"

"Negative," replied the Computer.

"Where is she?" asked Shepherd.

"Cmdr. Lindsey Lander is in the Jefferies tube 54."

"That's the one nearest the starboard warp nacelle," said Thrim.

"Thrim, get a security team and find her. Set phasers to stun. We may yet be able to persuade her. But don't let her do any damage."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Lindsey worked as fast as she could in the small Jefferies tube. She knew that if the _Enquiry_ were to find Gaiath's ship, they would destroy it. And if that happened, the computer core would be destroyed, and the only evidence that could definitively prove Section 31's recording was fake would be eliminated. Lindsey couldn't believe she was actually attempting to save Gaiath, the man who had killed her captain. But if it prevented a war, Lindsey could stomach it.

She worked frantically on the controls and the wiring. If she could overcharge the nacelle the repairs would take too long. If she was really lucky, the _Enquiry_ would have to come to a starbase for repairs, but Lindsey wasn't that optimistic. She worked for a long couple of minutes with no success. "Come on, Lindsey, think," she said out loud. "Remember Professor O'Brien's engineering course."

Finally, Lindsey caused an overload. If only it could go unnoticed for an hour, then the damage would be enough. Going unnoticed for two hours would be even better.

Just then a phaser beam shot over Lindsey's head. A security officer with poor aim was trying to hit her from the end of the tube. Lindsey crawled as fast as she could, thankful for her short stature for once. She scrambled around a corner just as a second phaser blast hit.

Lindsey got to a junction and climbed down a deck. She then went in the same direction as she had come, hoping to fool her pursuer. She found the exit to the Jefferies tube and opened the hatch.

Standing in front of her was Lt. Cmdr. Thrim. Lindsey straighten herself and said, "Commander, strange to see you here."

Thirm's only reply was a stream of energy from his phaser. The energy hit Lindsey squarely in the chest. She vaguely recalled falling, but didn't remember hitting the ground.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 _Personal log, Commander Lindsey Lander; stardate 57313.1: With each passing day I am growing more concerned. Any time now, Section 31 will find a trail that will lead them to Gaiath. If the_ Enquiry _destroys Gaiath's ship, then any evidence of their lies will be covered up. Or more accurately the evidence will die with me._

"What was that?" asked Shepherd.

"Cmdr. Lindsey Lander's last log entry before Mr. Thrim caught her in the act of sabotage," answered Ta'Prim.

Thrim was walking down the corridor with Agents Shepherd and Ta'Prim as they discussed their failure to fool Lander. Shepherd was practically fuming. Ta'Prim maintained her stoic Vulcan exterior, but Thrim could tell that even she was annoyed.

"I thought you said her logs didn't reveal any suspicions. How did you miss this?" Shepherd demanded.

Ta'Prim held up a paper notepad with handwritten long script. "I found this in her quarters. She began this second log starting the night after we attacked Gaiath."

"She knew that long ago?!" said Shepherd with alarm. "How did we fail so easily?"

"We should have never trusted Lander. We should have watched her more carefully," said Ta'Prim.

"And we should have been clear with Miller about Lander. I should have seen how easily manipulated he could be."

Thrim found himself more annoyed with these two than he was with Lander. In fact, he found that his respect for Lander had grown. "The fact of the matter is, you underestimated Capt. Lander," said Thrim. "She was not nearly as naïve as you thought. You assumed you could manipulate her, that she was inherently predictable."

"Commander, you are hardly an expert on these things."

"Apparently neither are you," retorted Thrim, upsetting Shepherd. "There was no one thing you did wrong. It was a whole collection of little things. Not telling her about the quantum torpedoes; expecting her to stay on the bridge. Trying to limit her access on the ship. If she only had one suspicion, then she might not have noticed the problems in the data you fabricated. But since she had a collection of suspicions she took a closer look. Now your whole plan is in jeopardy. You should have chosen someone sympathetic to your cause."

"The fact that she wouldn't agree with us made her a better spokesperson for our cause," said Shepherd, angrily defending his plan. "Her honestly and idealism would have convinced the whole Federation."

"And now it will do nothing for us," said Thrim.

"That is not necessarily true," cut in Ta'Prim with a cool and restrained voice.

Thrim stopped walking and faced the Vulcan woman. "What do you mean?"

"Often times a voice from the grave speaks as elegantly as a living voice," said the Vulcan without an ounce of emotion to her voice. Thrim barely concealed his shutter at the coldness of the Vulcan. "Miss. Lander can still be our spokesperson."

Thrim looked at Shepherd, who merely said, "It is logical." Shepherd then turned and entered the room. Thrim followed with Ta'Prim behind him.

The room they had entered was the ship's brig. There was a Section 31 agent dressed as a Starfleet security office at the central console. The only inmate was Cmdr. Lindsey Lander lying on her thinly padded bed. As they entered she calmly sat up straight. By the look on her face, Thrim knew that she had drawn the same 'logical' conclusion to which Ta'Prim and Shepherd had arrived.

"Cmdr. Lindsey Lander," said Shepherd. "I'll have you know that your act of sabotage has delayed us only five hours." Shepherd then put his best sympathetic face. "Why do you stand against us? We are only trying to help the Federation."

"By starting a war?" asked Lander. "I fail to see how that will help the Federation."

Shepherd straighten his uniform and put his hands behind his back, and Thrim knew that he was about to give his lecture. "Capt. Lindsey Lander, how many phaser arrays and torpedo tubes does your ship have?"

"I don't feel like sharing that information with you."

"Eight torpedo tubes and twelve phaser arrays. How about on the old _Orion_? Let me answer. Six tubes and eight arrays. How about the _Enterprise_? Ten tubes and sixteen arrays. Compare that the with the _Orion_ before its refit. An _Ambassador_ class ship with four phaser arrays and three torpedo tubes."

"I fail to see where you are going with this," said Lander.

"There's been some upgrading since the Dominion War. Your _Orion_ could take out the old _Enterprise-D_ without a problem. Old ships like the _Lakota_ have been refitted for combat. New ships being built are tougher than even. And then there is the _Defiant_ class starships. Make no mistake, Commander, those are warships."

"What is your point?"

"The point," said Shepherd. "Is that never in its history has Starfleet been stronger. Not only do we have the hardware, but we have battle-hardened commanders and captains with real war experience, not just a course at the Academy."

Shepherd gave Lander a wicked smile. "The Romulans on the other hand have never been weaker. Their government is broken; their military weak. They are so fragmented they could never stand together. In a war, the Federation would succeed."

Lander stood up and took a step towards the force field separating her from them. "So, we go to war just because we can? This is ridiculous."

"No, it is necessary!" said Shepherd. "The Romulans are resilient. In this convenient reprise that we are giving them, they will strengthen."

"That reprise is humanitarian aid. It might even pave the way to peace between us and the Romulans."

"Peace!" Shepherd shouted. "There will never be peace between us and the Romulans. There will be war. It is inevitable. We are merely choosing the opportune moment in which to enter that war."

"The Federation doesn't start wars. It goes against everything we stand for."

"Exactly!" Lander seemed surprised by Shepherd's answer. "The Federation stands for all that is great and good about enlighten humanity. These ideals are what makes the Federation great. And those ideals must be protected. That is what Section 31 does. We protect the Federation. We are the ones who do the things that the Federation cannot."

"You protect Federation ideals, by breaking them?"

"Exactly!"

Thrim watched Lander's jaw hanging open as she shook her head. "So, the ends justify the means?"

"No, they don't," answered Shepherd. "The ends do not justify the means. The Federation upholds this and many other great truths. And Section 31 protects both the Federation and their high principles by any means necessary."

Lander turned towards Ta'Prim. "How can you follow this? I maybe a mere human, but the flaws of this logic are so glaring a Jem'Hadar soldier could point it out."

"The Federation's enlighten ideals must be protected. Vulcan cannot promote these ideals without the Federation's help. It is logical to aid the Federation."

Lander shook her head. "If I can't make a Vulcan see logic, then this conversation will go nowhere."

Shepherd spoke in a kinder voice. "Why oppose us, Lindsey? Think of the good that this might bring. When the Romulan Star Empire is defeated so many good things could fill the void. The Remans will be a free people, perhaps even join the Federation. The Romulans in their defeat might even turned to Ambassador Spock, and Vulcan-Romulan reunification might become a real possibility."

"You will not persuade me with fantastic but farfetched predictions of the future."

Shepherd sighed. "I like you, Lindsey. You are everything that is great about the Federation. I really wanted you to be on my side. But you need to know that I will do anything to defend the Federation. Do not think that that you are protected because you are a Starfleet captain."

In response to the death threat, Lander merely sat down and crossed her arms. Thrim once again found respect for the woman.

Shepherd on the other hand looked disgusted. "Very well. Good bye, Miss. Lander." He and Ta'Prim turned and left the room.

But Thrim remained. Lander looked at him. "Are you going to try and persuade me, too?"

Thrim took a few steps towards Landers' cell. "I don't buy all that Agent Shepherd claims. But I know the Romulans. They are a deceitful, wicked race. They will do anything to destroy the Federation. They must be crushed."

"Is that so?" Lander paused reflectively. "So, when Donatra helped the _Enterprise_ save Earth from Shinzon and the _Scimitar_ , she was trying to destroy the Federation?"

"One Romulan with a conscience doesn't change what the Empire will do if we let them."

Lander stood up and looked Thrim in the eye. "What did they do to earn your hatred?"

"They killed my captain and shipmates."

"The _Wilson_ was crippled by the Jem'Hadar, not Romulans."

"What was the _Wilson_ even doing in that area of space?" said Thrim. "I'll tell you: Rendezvousing with the Romulans. A rendezvous that the Romulans never showed up for. They claimed that they were delayed. But they were there." Thrim depended his voice and his antennae stood on end. "They were there when we arrived; they were there when the Jem'Hadar attacked; and they were there when we called for medical assistance. They were supposed to be our allies. But instead they left us to die."

Lander nodded her head. "I don't doubt it. But this is no reason to start a war."

"You don't understand! You've never been in war. You don't know what it's like to watch helplessly as your shipmates… your friends are dying." Thrim approached within a few centimeters of the energy barrier that held Lander in her cell and towered over the woman. "My captain lay dead in his chair, a security officer smashed into a bulkhead. A little girl, just like you, lying literally broken on the bridge! You don't know!"

Suddenly Lander came right up to Thrim, hitting her forehead against the energy barrier, and, despite her short stature, stared Thrim square in the eye. "You're wrong. I was the first one on the _Orion's_ bridge after it depressurized. The first one to see my captain slumped dead in her chair." Lander's voice had now reached a full shout. "My chief engineer died in my arms! I gave untrained deputies phasers to defend against a boarding party! One hundred and thirty-six crewman dead, twenty-seven of them under my command! And who was responsible? A Romulan colonel!"

Thrim felt entirely disarmed. Before he could stop himself, he had backed away from the suddenly furious little human woman. "If you understand, then why don't stand with us? How can you forget what happened?"

"I haven't forgotten!" shouted Lander. "Gaiath is out there, and I want justice! But what I don't want is more death. If there is even a chance that peace can be achieved, I have to take it."

"You will just let them role over us?"

"Of course not! I will defend the Federation with my very life! That's the oath I made as a Starfleet officer. But I will not go to war just to satisfy my vengeance!"

Lander's voice changed from angry shouts to a cold, stern tone. "But if you go through with this. If you destroy Gaiath's ship and all the evidence of Section 31, then war will begin. More captains will die on their bridge. More little girls like me will be killed. And when that happens, don't go blaming it on the Romulans. If you do this, every death in this war will be on your head; their blood on your hands!"

Lander immediately turned around and laid down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Thrim stared Lander down for a second, but since he had no come back, and she was successfully ignoring him, Thrim turned and walked right out of the brig.

Once outside Thrim stopped, leaned against the wall, and took several breathes. He felt anger and rage, but also shame. He shook it off and tried his best to rid his mind of Lander and her words.

" report to the bridge immediately," came Shepherd's voice.

"On my way, sir." Thrim collected himself and walked to the turbo lift. Once he was on the bridge, he could see that the lead agent's mood had changed. "You called."

"That's not your usual formality, Mr. Thrim," said Shepherd with a certain cheerfulness.

"With all due respect, you're not a real Starfleet captain. I guess I don't feel like pretending anymore. Didn't do a lot of good anyhow."

"It worked well enough," said Shepherd, still cheerful.

"What has you in such a good mode, sir?"

"We have an exact location on Gaiath's ship. We are an hour from intercept." Shepherd sat down in the captain's chair. "Mr. Thrim, without Lander here, you have command of the battle."

"Understood, sir."

But Lander's voice haunted Thrim: "If you destroy Gaiath's ship…every death in this war will be on your head; their blood on your hands."

* * *

"You did what?!"

Sub-commander Tal'Igna swallowed hard and prepared for a verbal beating. "I sold my cloaking device for the parts. We were in desperate need, and the man with the items we needed wouldn't accept anything else. If I could have found another way, I would have, Colonel Gaiath, sir."

"Do you have any idea who this man was?"

"No, sir. A weapons dealer."

"What race was he?"

Tal'Igna cringed. "Human, sir."

"You sold a cloaking device to a human?!"

"Sir, he was not a Federation human."

"Maybe not, or maybe so. Either way, this man happened to have the exact items that we needed, and managed to manipulate you into doing exactly what he wanted. If my time in the Tal Shira taught me anything, it is to never be at the mercy of anyone."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"I don't want your apologies, Sub-commander. I want no further mistakes from you."

"Yes, sir."

Colonel Gaiath's face turned from anger to thoughtfulness. "There may still be a way to salvage this. Centurion! Send messages to all my ships. Have them come here, stationed about ten thousand kilometers away."

"You're assembling the fleet?!" asked Tal'Igna with surprise. "But you said…"

"Things have changed, Sub-commander. That Federation ship was hunting us, and it still is. They will be here soon. But I want to ambush the ambushers. Get the parts installed, and get this ship battle ready."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Mr. Ryan, what is our ETA?" asked Henry as he sat in the captain's chair.

"Four hours and twenty minutes at our current speed of warp 5."

"Make a request to the _Enterprise_ to increase speed."

"Request denied, sir," said Lt. Selina Chaput. "Capt. Picard says there is no sign of imminent need. He also mentioned that the _Lakota_ has a forty minute lead on us."

Henry squirmed as he sat in the captain's chair. Every instinct told him that they needed to hurry.

* * *

 _Section 31 log, Agent Jackson Shepherd; stardate 57314.4: My plan is almost complete. We have found Gaiath's ship. If we can destroy it, all the original records of his computer database will be eliminated, and there will be nothing to challenge our data._

 _If we succeed today, all that will be left is finding a way to make it look like Lander died in the battle._

"We are arriving, sir," said Ta'Prim.

"Drop to impulse. Power up weapons and shields." Shepherd turned to his Andorian officer. "Mr. Thrim, you have the bridge. Remember your goal."

"Yes, sir." Thrim's response was a bit subdued. The Andorian was usually thrilled at the chance for combat.

"Sir, Gaiath's ship is just off our portside, still cloaked."

"Mr. Thrim, do your damage."

"Arm quantum torpedoes and lock on with forward tubes," said Thrim.

"Torpedoes locked and loaded," said the officer who was taking Thrim's normal position at tactical.

Then there was a short but noticeable pause from Thrim. Shepherd was about to give the order himself, when Thrim finally spoke the word, "Fire."

The torpedoes launched out, but many of them detonated early. Only one struck the warbird, which was now decloaked and facing them.

"What happen?" asked Shepherd.

"Gaiath used his own torpedoes as counter measures. They blocked our torpedoes," answered Thrim. "He learned that trick from Lander."

"Incoming plasma torpedoes," said Ta'Prim in a slightly raised voice.

"Evasive manuvers!" shouted Thrim.

The _Enquiry_ jumped to starboard, but some of the plasma torpedoes detonated against their shields. "Shields at 80%," reported a bridge officer. "We have sustained some damage to our power grid."

"Make sure essential systems remain online."

"More ships dropping out of warp. Three more Romulan warbirds," Ta'Prim looked up from her station, and in a chillingly logical voice said, "We are outnumbered."

* * *

Lindsey sat cross legged on her bed. She felt utterly helpless. If there was anything else she could do to stop Section 31, she would do it. But she was in the brig, and as far as she could tell there was no way out of a good Starfleet brig.

But this wasn't a good Starfleet brig. The original design of the _Enquiry_ was as a research vessel. It had probably been mothballed before the Dominion War. Since it was too small to aid the war it was probably forgotten by Starfleet. Only Section 31 gave interest to it. They were clearly not as thorough as Starfleet, upgrading only what they needed. Lindsey shook her head. This brig was never upgraded. They clearly never had any intention of taking Gaiath or any other Romulan prisoner.

Lindsey felt the warp engines power down. The sickness in her stomach had nothing to do with space sickness. She knew the final battle with Gaiath was about to begin. She bowed her head when she heard the launch of torpedoes.

The _Enquiry_ shook from an impact, and for the briefest of moments, the shield on Lindsey's cell flickered. She looked up at her guard to see if he noticed. He was staring at his console trying to figure out the problem.

The _Enquiry_ shook again, and again the shields flickered. The guard was now trying to talk to someone. The voice from his combadge replied, "Power fluctuations are occurring all over the ship, Agent Smith. There's a battle going on. There is far more to worry about than the brig."

"But I have a prisoner here."

"You're a prison guard; guard her," replied the voice over the communicator.

Lindsey moved her feet from under her and on to the ground. She subtly put one foot against her bed. She allowed her whole body to tense.

The _Enquiry_ shook once again, and Lindsey did what was probably the stupidest thing she ever done in her life. But she was desperate. Lindsey pushed off her bed with all of her might and launched herself right at the energy barrier. She saw it shimmer right before she felt the intense pain. She bounced off the barrier and landed on the floor. But even in her disorientation, Lindsey noticed that half her body was in her cell and the other half was outside. The barrier was broken.

The guard ran up to her with his phaser drawn. The man was clearly not a security officer because he made a rookie mistake in coming too close. As he placed his foot next to Lindsey's head she grabbed his legs and pulled them from under him. He landed on the ground next to her. Lindsey lunged for his phaser arm and tried the pry the weapon out of his hand. But the guard wrestled her to the floor and attempted to pin her under his body. Lindsey straighten her arm violently with her palm up. Her open palm caught the guard right on his nose, and Lindsey heard the sound of his facial bones cracking.

As the guard put his hands to his face Lindsey got her legs free and gave a double footed kick to the man's chest. He flew backwards and hit his head on the security console.

Lindsey got to her feet and grabbed the man's phaser which he had dropped. The guard lay apparently unconscious on the floor, but Lindsey stunned him with the phaser for good measure.

Then, grabbing the guard's combadge she left through the brig door. She had no plan, but she knew that she desperately needed to stop this ship.

* * *

The bridge rocked. A few crewmen fell from their posts. "Get back to your stations!" yelled Agent Shepherd.

"There is a warbird on our starboard and another to port," reported Ta'Prim.

"Evasive maneuvers, dive!" shouted Thirm.

The _Enquiry_ was hammered on both its sides by Romulan disruptors before Thrim's maneuver brought them out of harm's way. "Shields down to 5%. We can't take another hit."

Shepherd felt like everything was going wrong. First Lander figured things out, then Gaiath laid a trap. But he still had one ploy yet to play. "Helmsman, get out of here; heading 115 mark 40; as fast as you dare." Shepherd then turned to Ta'Prim. "Send out a distress signal on all Starfleet channels."

The _Enquiry_ went to warp, and Shepherd asked the helmsman, "Are we being followed?"

"Yes, sir, four warbirds in pursuit."

"Excellent."

Thrim gave Shepherd a questioning look. "You want them to follow?"

"If we can't destroy them, someone else can." Shepherd turned to Ta'Prim. "Any response? I believe the _Lakota_ should be near."

"Yes," replied the Vulcan woman. "The _Lakota_ has responded. They are on their way at maximum warp."

"You see, Ser'rek, as far as the _Lakota_ knows, we are just a research vessel." Shepherd turned back to Ta'Prim. "Time to intercept?"

"Twenty minutes."

A security officer came up to Thrim and whispered in his ear. Thrim's antennae rose up. "Is something wrong, Commander?" asked Shepherd.

"Yes, sir," replied the Andorian. "Lander has escaped the brig."

"How?!"

"Not important, sir," said the Andorian in a business-like voice, as he rose from his chair. "I need to catch her before she does any damage to the ship."

"You?"

"I am your chief of security."

Shepherd nodded, "Of course. One specific instruction. Lander is more valuable to us dead than alive. Set phasers to kill."

Thirm looked him in the eye with his usual serious face. "Consider it done, sir."

* * *

Henry stood on the bridge impatiently. The captain's chair provided no comfort. Standing was all he could do to stop himself from pacing. He was about to ask for the third time their ETA when Selina spoke up.

"Sir, a transmission from the _Stellar Sprint_."

"On screen."

Lt. Cmdr. Ulysses Grant replaced the streaking stars on the main view port. He was still in his arms dealer disguise. "Commander, we have been keeping a healthy distance between us and the Romulans. But now we have detected weapons' fire; both Romulan and Starfleet."

"Sir!" interrupted Selina again. "We are being hailed by the _Enterprise_."

"Patch them in." An image of Capt. Picard was now displayed beside Grant. "Capt. Picard, you are on a three-way communication with Lt. Cmdr. Grant, who has detected weapons' fire at the suspected Romulan location."

"That corroborates with my information, Commander. The _Lakota_ has just responded to a distress signal by a certain USS _Enquiry_. Sound familiar?"

" _Enquiry_! The ENQR from Lin…Capt. Lander's message! She wasn't asking us to enquire into Section 31. She was telling us what ship she was on!"

"Perhaps, but we do not know for sure that she on that ship," said Picard.

"Capt. Picard, requesting permission to go to warp 9.95."

"That is exceeding fast, Commander."

"Captain, we have the same warp engine that you do. It is time for the _Orion_ to test its strength. I don't want the _Lakota_ to be on its own, sir."

"Permission granted, Commander. Try to keep up with us," replied Picard with a challenging smile.

"We will be right behind you, _Enterprise._ " Picard's image went away. "Red alert. All hands to battle stations." The red lights came on, and the warning sounded. Henry then called down to Engineering, "Bridge to Lt. Kustov."

"Yes, Commander."

"Vlad, remember what you told me on my first day about bridge officers?"

"I said that bridge officers are all fighter pilots at heart," replied Lt. Vladimir Kustov.

"Well I'm going to prove that true. Get us ready for warp 9.95."

"You don't disappoint, Commander. We're ready."

"Ryan, warp 9.95; engage."

"Commander, what should we do?" asked Grant. "Come back to the _Orion_? I do have your chief engineer."

Henry thought for a bit. "Negative. Get as close as you dare by what means you are willing to risk." By that Henry meant the cloaking device; although he was not willing to name on an official communication, since using a cloaking device would be a violation of the Romulan-Federation peace treaty. "But remember, you are not a combat craft."

"Understood."

* * *

Lindsey ran down another corridor. Phaser fire flew over her shoulder from behind. She dropped to the floor like dead weight, but as she hit the ground she rolled onto her back and fired on her unsuspecting pursuers. Two men dropped to the ground.

Lindsey wasted no time getting back on her feet. She had tried before to subtly disable the _Enquiry_ by sabotaging one of its warp nacelles, but that didn't work. Now it was time to try a more obvious approach. If she could place her phaser at the right spot on the warp core, and set it to overload and explode; then she could cause a warp core breach which would destroy the entire ship.

The flaw in her plan was that there would be no escape for herself. But Lindsey was willing to sacrifice her life if it meant preventing a war. If she was lucky Agent Shepherd may not have sent a copy of his falsified evidence to Section 31. Perhaps Lindsey could destroy his fake evidence and end this warmongering right here.

Lindsey was trying to remember the _Enquiry's_ warp core systems, when she rounded a corner at full sprint. At the same time, a security officer or a Section 31 agent (Lindsey couldn't tell the difference) also came to the corner. Lindsey plowed right into him, and both of them fell to the floor.

Lindsey's phaser slipped out of her hand. She saw it clatter to the floor, just a few feet out of reach. Next to it was another phaser, presumably from the officer she had crashed into. Lindsey tried to crawl towards the weapons, but she was grabbed from behind.

Her opponent climbed on top of Lindsey, trying to pin her face to the deck plating. Lindsey managed to squirm onto her back and tried to repeat her open palm thrust into the man's nose. But unlike her cell guard, this foe anticipated her attack and grabbed Lindsey's arm. Not having any other options, Lindsey spit directly into the man's eye. He instinctively released her arm to wipe clean his eye. Lindsey grabbed his uniform and pulled. At the same time, she brought up her head. The two heads cracked into each other. The man gave a brief yelp, and Lindsey's head rung.

The surprise caught her foe off guard, and he shifted his weigh off Lindsey's lower body. Lindsey, however, who was running on a combination of adrenaline and desperation, was ready. She got her legs free and repeated her double footed kick. The man flew off her, but was quick to his feet. From his belt, he drew a knife, which looked like a Jem'Hadar bayonet, clearly not Starfleet issue; and he began walking towards Lindsey.

Desperately Lindsey lunged for one of the phasers. Once she had it in her hand, she rolled to her back and fired at the man about to thrust his knife into her.

The man screamed as energy engulfed him, and he disintegrated into thin air.

Lindsey dropped the phaser in horror. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably. She had grabbed her opponent's phaser, not her own. One look at the lethal weapon revealed that it was set to its highest kill setting. Lindsey couldn't determine what was more horrifying, the reality that this man was set on killing her, or that she had killed a Federation citizen, possibly a Starfleet officer.

Lindsey pulled herself to her feet. She grabbed both phasers, taking a moment to set the first one to stun, then walked down the hall. She no longer ran, but moved as though in a daze. So, when she rounded a corner and found two security men, she didn't even try to lift her phaser.

"Drop the weapons, Commander," said one of the men. "You're surrounded. There is no place to run."

Lindsey was about to drop her phasers, when the two men were suddenly struck by phaser fire originating behind her. Lindsey turned around and found a tall Andorian behind her.

"Thrim? What?"

"Shut up and hold your fire." Thrim tapped his combadge. "Thrim to bridge. I have taken down Lander."

Shepherd's voice replied. "Is it done?"

"Yes, she is dead." Lindsey threw her arms up in surprise, but Thrim waved her down.

"Secure her body. Our experts will make it looked like a battle fatality."

"There is no body, sir. Our phasers were set to their highest setting."

"Oh, that complicates things. No bother, leave it to the experts. Get to the bridge. We will be dropping out of warp in a few minutes."

"Understood," said Thrim. "Come, we only have a few minutes before I'm missed."

"You're going to help me take down this ship?" asked Lander, thoroughly confused.

"No, I'm getting you off this ship. We're about to rendezvous with the _Lakota_. They are not Section 31. We will be safe with them, and from there we can blow the whistle." Thrim grabbed Lindsey's arm and pulled her down the hallway.

"Where are we going?"

"Shuttle bay. We will launch as soon as we drop out of warp."

Lindsey wasn't sure whether she could trust Thrim or not, but she realized she had no choice.

* * *

"Shepherd!" said Ta'Prim with unusual urgency. "The _Lakota_ is not alone."

"What do you mean?"

"Behind her are two other Federation starships, the _Enterprise_ and the _Orion_. They are traveling at high warp, and they will be only a minute behind the _Lakota._ "

"Impossible! They shouldn't be here," said Shepherd. "Unless…Lander! She must have got a message out. Her ship is coming for her."

"What will you do?" asked Ta'Prim.

"Helm, change course."

* * *

"Commander, the _Enquiry_ has changed course," reported Selina.

"Hail the _Enterprise._ " Selina gave Henry a nod, and he spoke immediately. "Hickensen to Capt. Picard, requesting permission to pursue the _Enquiry._ "

"Denied, Commander," answered Picard who had appeared on screen. "We need to support the _Lakota._ "

"Captain, it is my interpretation that Lindsey's message meant that she is on board that ship. The _Orion_ cannot abandon its captain."

"Mr. Hickensen, I do not have time to discuss your duties as commander of the _Orion_. You cannot not break off to pursue a gut feeling." Henry noticed Worf tense up in the first officer's chair, but Henry didn't care what the Klingon was thinking. Picard was still talking. "If you cannot separate…"

Henry stood from his chair and ignored Picard. "Selina! Get me Grant, now!"

"Channel opened."

"Frank, this Henry. I want you to shadow the _Enquiry._ I don't want to lose track of that ship! Consider it hostile, and presume it can see you."

"Yes, sir," said Grant, looking confused but not questioning orders.

"Helmsman, maintain presence course and speed. Drop out of warp on the _Enterprise's_ command. Tactical, power up shields, photon torpedoes, and phasers; and prepare for combat."

Henry sat back down in his chair. He became aware that Picard was still on screen and that he was sharing a raised eyebrow with Worf. " _Enterprise_ , the _Orion_ will be at your side."

"Glad to hear it, Commander," answered Picard with a smile.

* * *

Thrim took Lindsey to the best shuttle in the bay. He powered up the impulse engines and the thrusters. Lindsey seemed to have come out of her shock, because she took the co-pilot's chair and worked on powering up phasers and shields.

"Why are you helping me?"

"No time to answer that."

"No, I need an answer, now," demanded Lindsey.

Thrim paused in thought, "You were right. I was seeking vengeance not justice. I didn't think of the consequences of a war. I would be leading Starfleet officers and crewmen to their deaths. I would be no better than the Romulans."

Thrim looked at Lindsey to see if she believed him. But she was looking up with a vague expression on her face. "What is it?"

"We're changing heading. I can feel it."

Thrim felt the change as well in his antennae. He was shocked to see a human sense it first. "You're right."

"We're not rendezvousing with the _Lakota_ anymore." Lindsey turned towards Thrim. "We need to chance open space."

Thrim began hitting buttons. "I'm opening the bay doors. Hit the thrusters on my mark." A few more buttons and the doors began to open. "Now!" Lindsey didn't hesitate. The shuttle launched out scraping its hull on the bay doors.

"Send a destress signal to the _Lakota_ , now!"

"Mr. Thrim," said Lindsey with a serious voice. "I believe I am the ranking officer here." When Thrim looked over at her, he saw a smile. Behind the smile was the cunning of an officer who was used to being backed into corners. Everything Thrim had seen about this woman told him that she was not just some little girl. Thrim returned Lindsey's smile.

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

"Unauthorized shuttle launch," said Ta'Prim as she took a deep breath. It was taking every bit of her Vulcan training to keep her emotions down. Perhaps if she had spent more time with the Vulcan masters she would have more control. But this situation was falling apart. "Two life signs on board. One human female, and one Andorian male."

Shepherd practically jumped out of his captain's chair. He threw a datapad across the bridge. "Thrim! That lying son of a…"

"Shepherd!" shouted Ta'Prim. "Your emotional outburst is not helpful. Make a decision, or you will force me to take command of this operation."

"I am in command here!" returned Shepherd. Nonetheless, he calmed down a bit. "We can't pursue them to the _Lakota_ , and we can't stop, less Gaiath's warbirds catch up to us," said Shepherd, apparently engaging in the bad human habit of thinking out loud. "Send two shuttles in pursuit. I want our people crewing those shuttles."

"Their orders?" asked Ta'Prim. Shepherd turned to her, his face was full of rage.

"Seek and destroy."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _Second officer's log, strike that, this isn't even a real Starfleet ship._

 _Personal log, Lieutenant Commander Ser'rek Thrim; stardate 57314.3: Cmdr. Lindsey Lander has made me stop and think, which is something I haven't done in a long time. So intense was my rage against the Romulans that I have been blinded to the consequences of my actions. Not only have I led the Federation to the brink of another war, but I have also betrayed the very ideals that drew me into Starfleet; the very ideals that Capt. Mayer and the crew of the_ Woodrow Wilson _died defending. With this treachery, I have become no better than the Romulans I so hate._

 _But no more. I hereby denounce my affiliation with Section 31. From now I will return to the ideals that I once held. I will no longer try to avenge my crewmates and friends, but will honor their memory and heroics through my continued service._

 _Unfortunately, in order to get out of my current situation I am probably going to have to risk doing something very stupid._

Lindsey heard what she recognized as an Andorian swear word from her rescuer. "This was a stupid idea."

"What is it?" asked Lindsey.

"The _Enquiry_ has launched two shuttles, and they are coming this way," answered Thrim.

"I better send a distress signal to the _Lakota_ ," said Lindsey.

"They are jamming our signal. Besides they won't arrive in time. Those shuttles will be on top of us in minutes," replied Thrim. "If I may make a suggestion, Commander: I suspect that I am the better tactical officer, and you are the better pilot. We ought to switch rolls."

"Sounds good to me," said Lindsey as she took the shuttle's helm control.

* * *

"How long before we overtake the Federation ship?" asked Gaiath.

"Ten minutes, sir," replied the helmsman.

"Colonel!" shouted the sensor officer. "There are three more Federation starships on an intercept course. One of them is the _Lakota_ , another is the _Enterprise_. The warp signature of the third is not in our records, but it is consistent with a very new ship."

Tal'Igna, Gaiath's first officer, added, "I fought alongside the _Lakota_ during the Dominion War. She is an old _Excelsior_ class. But she was refitted for war."

Gaiath laughed. "I think we have attacked science vessels long enough. An old bird turned into a warship, a brand new starship, and the Federation's flagship! The Federation has thrown its best against us. Maintain our cloak. Let all captains know that I will reward the destruction of any of these ships. But there will be a bonus for whoever takes out the _Enterprise._ "

* * *

The shuttle lurched. "We're dropping out of warp," said Lindsey's copilot. "That phaser hit damaged our port nacelle. We are leaking plasma."

"Give me all the power you can spare for the impulse engines and thrusters," ordered Lindsey.

"Yes, Commander," replied Thrim. "I hope you are as good of a pilot as I think you are." The shuttle lurched again. "One boggie behind and a bit to port." Lindsey broke hard to port. "The other one is making a run from starboard." Lindsey tried another evasive maneuver, but the shuttle took another hit. "The first one is coming back."

"Why don't you fire at them instead of just telling me where they are?" shouted Lindsey.

"This thing only has forward firing phasers. I can't get a shot." They took another hit, and Thrim gave a warning. "Our shields cannot take much more."

"I have an idea. I am going to try and get you your shot. Wait until they hit us again, then get ready to fire." Another phaser blast hit their shuttle. At that moment, Lindsey killed power to the impulse engines.

"What are you doing?"

"Hold on!" Lindsey threw power into the port thrusters. The shuttle began to turn completely around while still maintaining the same general heading. Then Lindsey put the impulse engines in full reverse. They were effectively flying backwards. "Target their weapons."

Lindsey could see the smile on Thrim's face as he targeted one of the pursuing shuttles and fired the phasers. The second shuttle tried to speed past them, but Lindsey used the maneuvering thrusters to keep it in Thrim's sites. He managed to land a few shots on the rear of the enemy shuttle. "A number of direct hits. Both shuttles damaged. I think I got the weapons on first, and damaged the propulsion on the second. Nice flying, Commander."

"Thank you, Commander," answered Lindsey, not entirely sure how to react to this new friendly Thrim. "Take the helm. I going to try a distress signal again." As Thrim took the controls, Lindsey began to speak into the shuttle's communications system. "This is Cmdr. Lindsey Lander of the USS _Orion_ to any Starfleet or Federation friendly ships. We need assistance. We are in a shuttle craft being attacked by rogue Federation citizens."

"Any luck?" asked Thrim as he threw the ship into a dive.

"No, I got a short range transmission out, but they are jamming all subspace transmissions. Neither the _Lakota_ nor any other ship can help us. We are on our own."

"Then I suggest you take the helm again." Thrim's wicked battle smile reappeared on his face, but this time there was challenge and thrill in it, not hatred and rage. "Let's take them out before they get us."

"Agreed, Mr. Thrim. And no more running. It won't do us any good any way. We're taking the offensive." Thrim gave a slight battle laugh, as Lindsey drove their ship right towards the enemy shuttles. One got out of the way immediately. The other fired a few shots before banking away. It made one direct hit, but Thrim got three hits.

"That is the one with the damaged propulsion. I suggest we get that one," recommended Thrim.

"Sounds good to me," said Lindsey as she came up right behind it. The shuttle attempted to maneuver away, but its movements were sluggish.

Just as Thrim was acquiring his target, the shuttle's proximity warning sounded. The jolt from the impact was completely different from the earlier phaser hits. "Something hit us!" shouted Lindsey.

"It's the second shuttle. They are right against our starboard hull."

Lindsey jabbed at the controls, but the shuttle refused to break left. "What's going on? I can't move."

Thrim was staring at his panel. "They've matched the polarity of our shields. Our shields are now intermixed. It's like glue. Were stuck to them, and them to us."

"Kill the shields!" shouted Lindsey.

"I can't. Our shields are one, and they are pumping power into them."

"Why would they…" Lindsey then realized their plan. "Where is the other shuttle?"

"It is right behind us. It's firing." The shuttle jumped again, and Lindsey fought hard to break free.

"Change our shield polarity."

"Ineffective. They have control of our shields."

"There's got to be something you can do."

Thrim was looking at his monitor when his antennae rose in surprise. "Vessel decloaking behind us!"

"Romulans?!"

"It doesn't look like any Romulan ship I've ever seen." Thrim watched his monitor. Lindsey too took a look at the ship. It was some sort of small freighter. "It's firing on the rear shuttle," said Thrim. Then he looked at Lindsey. "Those are Starfleet phasers!"

The rear shuttle had a small explosion in its aft sections, and then drifted free in space. The freighter then fired on the shuttle next to Lindsey and Thrim. That shuttle tried to escape, but suffered the same damages as its companion.

Lindsey was about to brace for the Romulan attack when there was a soft beeping noise on the communications panel. "We're being hailed?" asked Lindsey. Thrim merely shrugged his shoulders, and pressed the button.

"This is Lt. Cmdr. Ulysses Francis Grant of the Federation freighter _Stellar Sprint_. We been worried about you, Captain."

"Frank! How in the world did you find me?"

"A combination of your message, some of our own digging, and shear dumb luck. Your vessel is damaged. Would you like to come on board ours?"

"Yes, I and my Andorian companion would love to come on board. Do you have transporters?"

"In the cargo hold. Stand by."

Lindsey felt a strange transporter feeling. She had never used a none Federation transporter before. The next moment, she found herself in a strange cargo hold. A Bajoran woman in well-worn leather armor stood before them. Lindsey immediately recognized her as one of the _Orion's_ new security officers, but she couldn't recall her name or even her rank. "Ah, officer."

"Security officer Lt. Rikka Nolean reporting, Captain."

"What in the depths of Andor is this vessel?"

"The _Stellar Sprint_ , a freighter that we acquired," said Lt. Rikka. "I don't believe I know you, Lieutenant Commander."

"Lt. Cmdr. Ser'rek Thrim. Where did you get a cloaking device?"

"That's a long story," came a voice from the forward compartments. Lindsey turned and saw Lt. Cmdr. Grant, her chief of security, walking towards her.

"Frank!" Lindsey knew it was inappropriate, but she couldn't stop herself. She walked up and embraced Grant in a hug. After releasing him she said, "Am I ever glad to see you."

"It's good to have you back, Captain. Now we better get you back to your ship, and quickly." Grant tapped his combadge, "Lt. O'Hara, reactivate cloak and get us back ASAP."

Lindsey could feel Grant's hurry. "Frank, where is the _Orion_?"

* * *

"Federation fleet is nearly in range," said one of the bridge officers.

Tal'Igna saw Gaiath smile. "Good, drop to impulse in front of the _Lakota_. Bring up shields and power up weapons. Have all other ships cloak and prepare for striking maneuver." Then in a curious voice Gaiath added. "Put the rear two ships on screen. I want to see the _Enterprise_."

Two Federation ships appeared on the viewscreen, and Gaiath looked hungrily at Starfleet's flagship. Tal'Igna for her part looked at the second ship. It was a _Galaxy_ class ship. Not a scratch on it. Out of curiosity, Tal'Igna tried to read the name of the ship. It wasn't clear at this range. It looked like the first letter was a Terran 'O', but Tal'Igna couldn't make it out.

"Sub-lieutenant," asked Tal'Igna. "Can you identify new ship?"

"I can't make out its name, Sub-commander, but I believe its hull number reads NCC-26532-A."

"What?!" Gaiath stood violently from his chair and pounded the arm rest; startling Tal'Igna. "They built another one!"

Tal'Igna nervously stepped forward. "Colonel?"

"The _Orion_! They named a new ship after her! Of all their petty tricks!" Suddenly Gaiath calmed. "It doesn't matter. I will not fall prey to their psychological warfare: using Lander against me, naming a ship after my last failure." Gaiath sat in his chair. "All ships to battle stations. After we've dealt with the _Enterprise_ ; we'll see how well this new _Orion_ holds up."

* * *

 _First officer's log; stardate 57314.6: It's baptism by fire. This will be the first time I have commanded a starship in a combat situation. There are at least five Romulan warbirds out there. Now I know how Lindsey felt when the command of the first_ Orion _fell into her lap. But this time we are not alone. The_ Enterprise _and the_ Lakota _are with us._

 _I only hope that Lindsey is okay, wherever she is._

Most of the viewscreen displayed streaking stars, but the lower two corners displayed Capt. Picard on the left and Capt. Benteen on the right. Picard, as the most senior and experienced officer as well as the captain of the tactically superior vessel, was in command of the three-ship fleet.

It was Benteen that spoke first. "We have detected a single Romulan vessel. Dropping out of warp to confront."

"Careful, Captain," said Picard. "There is almost certainly more than one warbird out there."

"That's why I have you. I could use the _Orion's_ upgraded sensors, though."

"Our ETA is one minute," answered Picard. "Hold position, and hail the warbird. Make sure they know our demands."

"Yes, sir."

It was a long minute, but eventually Picard gave the order. "All ships drop out of warp." The stars came to a stop. In front of him Henry saw the _Lakota_ facing down a lone Romulan warbird. The _Enterprise_ took a forward position on the _Lakota's_ starboard side. Henry ordered the _Orion_ to position itself on the _Enterprise's_ starboard, so that the three ships formed an arrow head.

"Capt. Picard, there has been no response from the warbird."

"Thank you, Capt. Benteen." Henry saw Picard straighten his uniform and then give a nod to an officer off screen. "This Capt. Jean Luc Picard of the USS _Enterprise_ to the Romulan warship. By being in Federation space, you are in violation of the Treaty of Algeron. You will surrender your vessel immediately." Still no response.

"Cmdr. Hickensen, have you spotted the other vessels?" asked Picard.

"Yes, sir. There are five more cloaked vessels in the area. I am sending you and the _Lakota_ our sensor data now." Henry watched as both captains looked to their officers off screen, and then return attention forward with nods.

"Mr. Hickensen, lock on and prepare to fire on my visual signal."

"Ensign, acquire targets and prepare to fire. One photon torpedo each. We're looking to light them up."

"Targets acquired, sir," said the nervous ensign.

"This is Picard to all Romulan vessels in the area, decloak and power down your weapons now, or you will be fired upon." Picard was waiting. Seconds seemed like hours. Henry looked over at his tactical officer.

"Take a deep breath, Ensign."

"Yes, sir," replied the nervous ensign.

Picard's hand slowly raised, and Henry stood in front of his chair. Finally, Picard dropped his hand, and Henry shouted, "Fire!"

Five torpedoes launched out of the _Orion's_ forward tubes and flew out into empty space. But they came in contact with the invisible ships whose cloaking fields flickered, and for a moment all six Romulan warbirds were visible.

Picard was about to speak when someone off screen spoke to him. Henry didn't have to wonder what is was about, because Lt. Selina Chaput alerted him. "All six warbirds are moving into attack formations."

Henry watched as the enemy ships, no longer feeling the need for cloaking, charged forward. All that was except the two on the right.

Picard saw it too. "Cmdr. Hickensen, the two warbirds on the right are attempting to flank us. Take the _Orion_ and head them off. Make sure they can't attack our flank, but don't fall into any traps."

"Yes, sir." Henry began to issue orders. "Helm, move us forward, half impulse and thrusters at full. Bearing 50 mark 20. Ensign, target the lead warbird with torpedoes and phasers. Fire on my command."

The _Orion_ edged closer and closer to the incoming warbirds. Henry felt his heart pounding in his chest.

"Ryan, slow us down, let them come to us." Henry held up his hand. "That's far enough. Full stop."

"Sir," reported Lt. Johnathan Mikkelson from the navigator's seat. "The warbirds have also stopped."

"Are they in range, Ensign?"

"Not of phasers, but we could fire torpedoes."

"But we are out of optimal range, correct?"

"Correct, sir."

"Hold here. We will keep an eye on them. Selina, keep me informed of the battle behind us."

"Sir?" asked the tactical ensign. "Are we to do nothing?"

"They want us out of the battle," said Henry pointing at the two ships staring them down. "And we want them out of the battle. The right side of the chest board is at a stalemate. It will be the center and the left that get to battle it out right now. But don't you worry. When one side breaks, we will be in this battle, too."

* * *

Picard felt the bridge shake from the impact of a nearby plasma torpedo. No matter how many times he had experienced the feeling of weapons fire against his hull, he never got used to it. In fact, he suspected that it only got worse as his career went on.

"Captain, two warbirds are circling for another pass."

"Shields?"

"Shields are good across the ship," answered the operations officer. "With the exception of the Engineering section. Shields are down to 60% there."

"Continue firing at will, but concentrate on their aft sections after they've passed us."

The two warbirds fired as they passed by the _Enterprise_. Picard braced himself for the hit. But he wasn't ready for the violent shaking and the flickering lights. "What happened?"

"Engineering took a hit. We briefly lost power." The officer turned pale. "Captain, we've lost shields across the ship."

"Bridge to Engineering, Geordi, what is going on?"

"A lucky shot, sir," said La Forge. "One of those plasma torpedoes disrupted our shielding conduits. I can have it fixed in a minute."

"Status on those warbirds?"

"We damaged the propulsion on one of them…Sir! The two warbirds attacking the _Lakota_ are now lining up for a run on us!"

"Mr. La Forge, we need shields now! Capt. Benteen, we need you to do something about those warbirds."

"Capt. Picard," came the voice of the _Lakota's_ captain. "They are approaching from the far side of the _Enterprise._ The best we can do is occupy the other two."

Picard looked at the viewscreen which displayed two Romulan warbirds bearing down on him and the _Enterprise._

* * *

"Colonel, our propulsion will be back online soon."

"Quiet, Sub-lieutenant! I want to enjoy watching the _Enterprise_ being blown across the sector."

* * *

The crew of the _Orion_ was growing restless. Henry looked across the bridge. The _Orion's_ crew was young and inexperienced. The stalemate with the two warbirds was still continuing, and the long waiting was almost harder on them than actual combat. Only the veterans of the old _Orion_ : Selina Chaput, Luke Ryan, and Johnathan Mikkelson, were keeping their calm.

Them and Lt. Cmdr. Worf. The Klingon officer from the _Enterprise_ was sitting in the first officer's chair waiting. Henry could feel the battle tension radiating from him, but it was contained, waiting for it's time to be unleashed.

Henry looked again at the viewscreen to watch his foes, but then he noticed Capt. Picard in distress. "Selina, what is the _Enterprise's_ status?"

Selina looked at her console and then back up. "The _Enterprise's_ shields have failed." Worf sat straight in his chair, clearly concerned. Selina continued, "Two warbirds are setting up for a run on the _Enterprise_. The _Lakota_ will not be able to intercept."

Henry looked back at the two warbirds threating his ship. He had a decision to make and no time to make it. "Ryan! Bring us about. Starboard thrusters at full. Redline the impulse engines. We need to get to the _Enterprise_ , now!" Ryan obeyed immediately.

"That will leave our aft vulnerable to our friends back there," said Johnathan.

"Less vulnerable than the _Enterprise_. Ensign, keep those warbirds busy with the aft torpedoes. Then get ready to disable the ships threating the _Enterprise._ "

"Y…Yes, sir," The ensign at the tactical station was easily the most nervous person on the bridge.

Henry stood and faced the tactical station on the upper bridge behind him. "Ensign, look me in the eye and tell me you can do this." The tactical officer looked down at Henry and was practically shaking. "Ensign, you're relieved. Mr. Worf, take tactical. The fate of your ship depends on your skill."

"I will not let you or them down," said the Klingon as he promptly stood and took the position. The nervous Ensign retreated before the imposing Klingon warrior.

"Sir, warbirds on our aft," reported Johnathan.

"Mr. Worf, give them a reason to think twice." The _Orion_ began firing at its pursuers, but Henry was only focused on what was in front of him.

"We are in range, sir," said Selina.

"Just wait, Mr. Worf. We're going to time it for maximum effect." Long seconds ticked by as the enemy grew nearer. "Ready…Fire!"

Out of the _Orion_ came a steady stream of photon torpedoes and phaser fire that Henry didn't even know was possible. Henry stole a glance at Worf, as he masterfully worked the tactical station.

When Henry returned his attention to the viewscreen he saw flames erupt from one of the warbirds.

* * *

"Yeah, _Orion_!" shouted an inexperienced crewman.

"We're not out of this yet, Ensign," said Picard. "On my mark I want a hard break to starboard, thrusters and impulse at full. Bring the _Orion_ and its pursuers right in front of us. Let us return the favor."

"But, Captain, we still don't…"

"Captain," came Lt. Cmdr. La Forge's voice. "Shields are back."

"Engage!" The _Enterprise_ jumped to the right just in time to see the _Orion_ soar over the top with two Romulan Warbirds in pursuit. "Target the nearest warbird with forward phasers and torpedoes. Fire!"

A barrage of a phaser fire and photon torpedoes lanced out towards the Romulan ship. Picard was rewarded with a massive explosion and a clear hull breach on the enemy vessel. The other ship banked away.

* * *

"Colonel!"

"I see it, Sub-lieutenant," replied Gaiath with a snarl. The _Orion_ and the _Enterprise_ had just destroyed one of his warbirds, the _Enterprise_ had regained shields, and the _Lakota_ had crippled another one of his ships. Just when everything seemed to be going his way, his fleet was cut in half. And to top it all, all three enemy ships were closing on him, and his propulsion wasn't functioning.

"Propulsion is back, Colonel," said Tal'Igna, Gaiath's first officer. Gaiath would not forget that she was the woman who lead the Federation to him. "Should we engage the _Enterprise_?"

"No," Gaiath said bitterly. The battle was lost, and he was not interested in suicide. "All ships, retreat."

* * *

"Cmdr. Hickensen, we owe you."

"You are welcome, Capt. Picard," Henry answered the _Enterprise's_ captain. "But the debt is already paid. Thanks for clearing our tail."

"Commander, the remaining three Romulan Warbirds are regrouping," said Selina. "Looks like they might be retreating."

"Capt. Picard, have you noticed the retreat?"

"Yes, Commander," said Picard. "Capt. Benteen, cut them off. The _Enterprise_ will come behind. Cmdr. Hickensen, bring the _Orion_ along as soon as you can."

"Commander, we're receiving a priority signal from the _Stellar Sprint_."

"Get us under way now, pursuit course. And give Grant a corner of the viewscreen. Grant, what's your status?"

But instead of Grant's face, Henry saw Lindsey's. Despite protocol Henry shouted out, "Lindsey! Am I glad to see you!"

"No time for reunions, Henry. Patch me through to the _Enterprise_ and the _Lakota_ immediately.

"Yes, Ma'am." Henry looked at Selina, who was already giving him an affirmative nod. Henry then nodded to Lindsey.

"This Capt. Lindsey Lander to the _Enterprise_ , _Orion_ , and _Lakota_. Do not destroy Gaiath's flag ship. Repeat, do not destroy Gaiath's ship. The information on its computer core is vital to the security of both the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire."

"Capt. Lander, you don't know how happy I am to see you again," spoke Capt. Picard. "But I don't understand what you're saying."

"I don't have time to explain. It suffices to say that a third party is trying to start a war with falsified evidence. The truth lies in Gaiath's computer core. We must take that ship."

"Which ship is Gaiath's?" asked Henry.

"The one leading the retreat."

"Understood, Capt. Lander," said Picard. "All ships your goal is to disable Gaiath's flagship."

"Thank you, Capt. Picard. Cmdr. Hickensen, we are alongside you. Transport all five of us on board. We will leave our ship adrift for later pick up."

"Yes, Captain. _Enterprise_ and _Lakota_ do your best to ignore this next part." Henry watched the other two captains as Grant's freighter decloaked. Picard merely shook his head. But Capt. Benteen's face was priceless.

"Got 'em, Commander," said Selina. The freighter then recloaked. Capt. Benteen shook her head.

* * *

"Gaiath's ship is retreating. The _Lakota_ , the _Enterprise_ , and the _Orion_ are pursuing," said Ta'Prim in her normal, level voice.

"Will they over take them?" asked Agent Shepherd.

"I believe so."

"Our shuttles reported that Lander was rescued," said Shepherd. "Which means it is likely that she has returned to the _Orion_ or to the _Enterprise_ and told them everything."

"That is likely," said Ta'Prim. She once again marveled at the human need to think out loud in order to use logic.

"Which means she will order them to take Gaiath's ship intact." Shepherd stood from his chair. "We can't let that happen. Helm, lay in an intercept course. If Starfleet won't destroy Gaiath's ship, we will."

"Agent Shepherd, we cannot do that," said Ta'Prim. "Direct action would like result in revealing Section 31. It would be better to hope that Gaiath will destroy his own ship. He has done so before."

"You would leave the fate of our mission in the hands of a Romulan?" asked Shepherd angrily.

"Not ideally, but that is the situation we are in. Revealing ourselves will jeopardize all future Section 31 operations."

"No, I will not leave this mission undone!"

"Don't let your pride cloud your judgement, Shepherd." Ta'Prim just couldn't understand why these humans couldn't set aside their emotions to see logic. "Just because Lander defeated you in one round, doesn't mean you should risk losing the whole battle."

"Lander did not beat me!" shouted Shepherd, and Ta'Prim could see that if she wanted to calm Shepherd's emotions, her words were ill chosen. "And I am not acting out of pride. I am doing what must be done."

"Agent Shepherd." Ta'Prim raised her voice slightly like a disappointed parent. "If you cannot control your emotions, I will be force to take over this mission."

"I am the captain of this ship, Ta'Prim; not you."

"You are not a Starfleet captain, Agent Shepherd."

"Security, remove Agent Ta'Prim from the bridge." Ta'Prim was about to object when two human males grabbed her arms. "Confine her to her quarters." Ta'Prim was forcefully removed from the bridge, but not before hearing Shepherd call battle stations.

In the turbo lift, Ta'Prim reflected upon how the operation had gone wrong. It was good in its concept, but failed in its execution. Thrim had been right, they made a number of small mistakes. And now Ta'Prim saw with clarity the source of all those mistakes. Shepherd should have never been in command of the _Enquiry_. He made a better agent, than a captain. But in his emotional attachment to his failed Starfleet career Shepherd took the captain's chair for himself, instead of yielding it to someone more capable like Thrim.

The lift door opened, and the security men moved Ta'Prim towards her quarters. About a hundred meters down the hallway, Ta'Prim reached out with her left hand and pinched the nerve on the back one guard's neck. Before he fell limp to the ground, Ta'Prim grabbed his phaser and fired on the other guard.

With a calm stride, Ta'Prim found an escape pod, climbed in, set her course, and hit the eject button. After all, self-preservation was logical.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 _First officer's log; supplemental: The Captain's back!_

Lindsey materialized on the transporter platform of the _Orion_. She wanted to drop to her knees and kiss the deck plating, but instead she began issuing orders. "Cmdr. Grant, prepare a boarding party immediately. Lt. O'Hara, go with him. You're the only one on board who knows Romulan engineering. Cmdr. Thrim, come with me to the bridge. Ensign, tell the bridge we're on our way, and that I want two new combadges."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Lindsey and Thrim hurried to the nearest turbo lift. They got in, and Lindsey spoke the command, "Deck one." What follow was an awkward silence.

"So…this is the _Orion_."

"Yeah, the _Orion_. Welcome on board."

"Thank you, Command…Captain."

The turbo lift opened. Thrim waited for Lindsey to walk first. As soon as she set foot on the bridge's deck floor, an ensign announced, "Captain on the bridge."

"I waved that formality, Ensign."

"Give him a break, Lindsey. He's just excited to have you back, as are we all," said Henry as he stood up from the captain's chair.

"Fine. Status?" said Lindsey as she sat in the captain's chair which Henry had just vacated.

Henry directed her attention to the viewscreen. "Three Romulan warbirds are fleeing. We are following them at warp 9 and are gaining quickly. The one in the lead is the one you designated as Gaiath's flagship. The _Lakota_ had a head start on all of us. She should be engaging the Romulans any second…"

"This is Capt. Benteen," interrupted the female captain of the _Lakota_ over the communications system. "We are engaging the Romulans."

Lindsey watched the encounter on the viewscreen. The _Lakota_ came at the Romulan formation from their port side. One of the warbirds moved forward to bloke the _Lakota_. The two starships exchanged fire. The warbird slipped behind the _Lakota_ and fired relentlessly with its disruptors. The _Lakota_ slowed drastically. The warbird also slowed, attempting to remain behind the Starfleet ship. Both ships peeled off for their own private battle.

"There's the Gaiath we know," said Henry. "Using his other ships to shield him. I bet the second ship will try to hold off the _Enterprise._ That man would sacrifice every single Romulan before giving himself up."

Lindsey processed Henry's words and came to a sudden realization. "You're right! With the _Enterprise_ distracted he will still have to deal with us. But he still has one more decoy ship…I know what he's going to do." Lindsey stood from her captain's chair. "Mr. Hickensen, you have the bridge. Mr. Thrim and Mr. Mikkelson, come with me."

"Lindsey, you just got here, where are you going?" asked Henry.

"I am going to catch Gaiath. Where are my combadges?"

"Here, Captain," said one of the junior officers.

Lindsey grabbed the combadges, tossed one to Thrim, and placed the other on her uniform, tapping it at the same time. All the while she was walking back into the turbo lift. "Lt. Raklok and Petty Officer Shelton, this is the captain, meet me at the battle bridge."

The lift door closed, and Thrim asked, "What are we doing, Captain?"

"Same question, Captain," added Johnathan.

"Gaiath gave us the slip once, but this time I will have him."

* * *

Henry was back in the captain's chair after returning it to Lindsey for all of two minutes. He watched as the _Enterprise_ was cut off by the other warbird protecting Gaiath. And just as he had predicted, the two starships peeled off, leaving just Gaiath's ship and the _Orion_.

Picard spoke, "We can't stay with Gaiath's ship. She's all yours _Orion_. I see that justice has not lose her poetry."

"Thank you, Capt. Picard. The _Orion-A_ will gladly avenge her predecessor," said Lindsey. Lindsey now had her own corner of the viewscreen along with Capts. Picard and Benteen. It depicted her in the battle bridge, which was down below the _Orion's_ saucer in the Engineering decks.

"Might I ask what you are doing in the battle bridge, Captain?" asked Picard.

"Something I've been thinking about since becoming the captain of a _Galaxy_ class starship. I believe Gaiath will try to slip away on an auxiliary vessel of sorts. I intend to capture him."

"I see. Carry on."

They were now approaching weapons range. "Cmdr. Hickensen, you have command of the _Orion_ ; lead the battle," said Lindsey. "Just be ready for my departure."

"Understood, Captain," replied Henry. He watched closely as Gaiath's warbird grew larger on the screen. "Mr. Worf, fire on the warbird as soon as we are in range. Target their warp engines."

"Yes, Commander. Romulan warbird in range in five seconds." Henry waited at the edge of his seat. He could see Lindsey on the viewscreen also waiting intently. Henry heard what he guessed to be the sounds of Worf working the tactical counsel. His guess was confirmed when he saw phaser fire lancing out of the _Orion_ and into the warbird. An explosion told him that damage had been done.

"Romulan warp field destabilizing," said Lt. Luke Ryan, the helmsman. "Matching speed with the enemy vessel. Warbird dropping out of warp, and so are we."

"Excellent shooting, Mr. Worf. Keep up the good work. I want their weapons and propulsion systems offline, but the ship intact."

"Consider it done," replied the _Enterprise's_ first officer; leaving Henry with the wish that he could keep the battle-hardened Klingon on the _Orion._

"Henry," called Lindsey from the battle bridge. "Cmdr. Grant's boarding party is ready and at your command."

"Understood, Captain."

* * *

"Sir, we've dropped out of warp!" shouted Sub-commander Tal'Igna. "Our warp engines are not responding."

"Evasive action epsilon," shouted Colonel Gaiath. "I want to get behind them."

Tal'Igna held on to her console as the warbird banked one direction, then the other way, and finally pulled up and reversed throttle. Despite the maneuver, the _Orion_ remained behind them, skillfully targeting their impulse engines and rear firing weapons. The pilot and the tactical officer on the _Orion_ were thoroughly embarrassing Tal'Igna's crew.

"Impulse engines are hit!" yelled an engineer. "Another hit like that and we'll loss propulsion again."

"Evasive maneuver gamma," replied Gaiath. But then he turned towards Tal'Igna. "Sub-commander, I need your command codes."

"Yes, sir," Tal'Igna replied. But when she saw what was on his console she turned to him in surprise, "Sir?"

"Do it, Sub-commander. That's an order."

"First officer, Sub-commander Tal'Igna: authorization 6-11-5."

The screen flashed a success message just as the engineer shouted again, "Impulse engines offline!"

"Compensate with thrusters. Put the _Orion_ in front of us and fire disruptors," ordered Gaiath. The _Orion_ appeared in the forward viewscreen, firing surgical blows with its phasers. Tal'Igna was pleased to see a few good disruptor shots hit the _Orion's_ forward shields, but the damage appeared minimal. The warbird on the other hand shook violently from the _Orion's_ attacks.

"Colonel, we've lost our disruptors." The tactical officer paused. "Where's the Colonel?"

Tal'Igna looked back at the captain's chair and found it empty. She couldn't help but feel betrayed, but she knew it was the Colonel's prerogative to abandon ship when he deemed it necessary. She had hoped that he would take her with him, but then again it might have been her fault that the Federation had found them in the first place.

"Don't worry about the Colonel! Follow your orders! Fire plasma torpedoes!" Tal'Igna sat down in the captain's chair. She would die as this ship's captain.

"Shields are completely down. The _Orion_ has stopped firing. They are requesting our surrender."

"Ignore them. Give me a target. I want to see a hull breach somewhere on that ship."

"Transporter signatures across the ship! We're being boarded!"

Tal'Igna barely had time to wonder why the Federation would risk boarding a ship already at their mercy, before the door to the bridge blew open, and yellow shirts began flooding in. She reached in the hidden compartment of the captain's chair and pulled out a disruptor pistol. She fired three shots at her enemies; two of which were clean misses, but the third clipped a human on the shoulder.

The door from the Colonel's room slide open and more Starfleet soldiers came out. Tal'Igna hadn't anticipated that they would transport into that room. She turned to her right, and tried to fire upon the new treats, but a phaser beam struck her in the forearm. She screamed as she grasped her wounded arm, dropping her disruptor in the process.

The disruptor and phaser fire on the bridge ceased, and Starfleet soldiers in their silly yellow uniforms took over the bridge. But Tal'Igna's jaw dropped as she saw three of them not in Starfleet uniforms, but instead looking like pirates.

One was an Orion woman who immediately walked to the helm. "I have disabled their thrusters, Commander." Another, a Bajoran woman disabled the weapon's system. The third, a human male approached Tal'Igna. She shook her head in disbelief even as she recognized him.

"Hello again, Sub-commander. Let me properly introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Commander Ulysses Francis Grant. And this ship is now mine."

Tal'Igna slumped down next to the captain's chair. "I sold a cloaking device to the Federation. What have I done?"

"A pleasure doing business with you, too," replied the weapons dealer who was really a Starfleet officer. "Just stay there, and don't cause any trouble. Lt. O'Hara, have you made any progress on the computer."

"No," replied the Orion woman, moving from the helm to another console. As she did she passed by the captain's chair. She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked upon the Colonel's console. "Commander, we have a problem."

Tal'Igna laughed, "You want the ship, take it. It will be your death, human."

"What kind of problem, Lieutenant?" said the human in charge, who was choosing to ignore Tal'Igna.

The Orion woman looked up. "This ship is set to self-destruct."

* * *

"Lieutenant, do you see anything yet?"

"Not yet, Captain," replied Raklok. Thrim watched from the tactical station as the Klingon worked the sensors from the operation's console with a human petty officer next to him. The human lieutenant, Mikkelson, was at the helm controls, while Capt. Lander was in the captain's seat. On the viewscreen Thrim could see Gaiath's ship being hit by the _Orion's_ phasers and photon torpedoes. The chatter from the regular bridge kept them all informed of the battle.

"I've got something!" shouted Raklok. "A cloaked vessel about the size of a Starfleet runabout."

"Johnathan, begin saucer separation," said the Captain. "All hands, prepare for saucer separation." Warning sirens when off as the saucer of the _Orion_ detached from the lower decks, which included Engineering, the deflector dish, the warp core, and the warp engines. Thrim had heard of this unique feature of _Galaxy_ class ships, but he had never seen it done before. There was a brief but violent shaking. Thrim could see on the viewscreen the _Orion's_ saucer now floating free of the stardrive.

Then Lander issued orders, "Johnathan, reverse course. Follow that cloaked ship. Bring us into firing range as soon as possible. Raklok, where are they?"

"They've just gone to warp 6, Captain."

"Pursuit course locked in," said Johnathan.

"Warp 8, engage."

Thirm felt oddly naked traveling at warp speeds in starship without its saucer. He hoped that the rest of the _Orion_ would be enough for the task of disabling the warbird. He also hoped that this half of the ship could take down Gaiath's escape yacht.

"Mr. Thrim, make your best guess as to Gaiath's propulsion; target and fire when we are in range. Remember you have limited weaponry on this stardrive portion of the _Orion_."

"Don't worry, Captain. Remember, I am a good guesser." Thrim was rewarded with a smile from Capt. Lander.

"Just make sure not to destroy them. I want Gaiath alive."

As they grew nearer, the viewscreen still displayed nothing but streaking stars. But Thrim could see Raklok's sensor data on his console. "Target in range," Thrim made his guess. "Targeting and firing phasers."

The phaser array located at the 'tongue' of the stardrive, where the saucer used to be attached, sent out its deadly particle ray. It struck the invisible ship whose cloak shimmered. After a few more shots the cloak failed entirely, and Gaiath's escape yacht became visible. Without the cloak, Thrim had clear targeting. He took out the warp engines with one shot a piece.

"Enemy yacht dropping out of warp," said Raklok.

"Drop to impulse. Track them down and disable that ship."

"He's behind us," said Lt. Mikkelson. "Turning about."

"He's firing at us," said Raklok.

"Shields up!" ordered Capt. Lander. "Mr. Thrim, disable those weapons."

Thrim programmed photon torpedoes to detonate next to the yacht, dealing minor general damage. But with the phaser he targeted each of the yacht's defensive systems.

"Warning, approaching vessel on collision course," stated the computer voice.

"Break to port, then hard to starboard. I want to be behind him."

The _Orion's_ stardrive dipped to the left and then banked hard to the right. Thrim was amazed by the maneuverability of the half ship. Once they were behind the yacht, Thrim wasted no time in disabling Gaiath's engines. "Escape yacht disabled."

"Life signatures?"

"Four Romulans," said Raklok.

"Get a transporter lock on them and beam them to the ship. Hold them in the buffer until my order. Mr. Mikkelson, you have the bridge. Mr. Thrim, set your phaser to stun and follow me." Thrim grabbed his hand phaser and double checked the setting. He followed Capt. Lander to a transporter room. Together they entered the room. "Stun the Romulans except Gaiath," said Lander. "Ensign, energize."

Four Romulans materialized on the platform. Thrim took aim and stunned one of them. He tried to get another, but realized that Lander had already dropped the other two. All that remained was Gaiath.

"Cassius Gaiath," said Lander. "I have been waiting a long time to say this. Welcome on board the _Orion_."

Gaiath no longer looked like the proud Romulan Colonel he once was. Instead of standing straight and tall like a good military man, he was crouched like a cornered animal ready to strike. His face was creased with rage. In response to her voice, Gaiath turned to face Lander. As soon as he saw her, he lunged towards her with his hands out stretched like some ice cat of Andoria, all the while yelling at the top of his lungs. "Lander, you Federation b…"

Thrim hit him with a phaser beam right in the chest, as Lander stepped to the side. Gaiath's momentum took him passed her. He landed face first on the deck, and continued to lay there, stunned. "A rather inglorious way to surrender; don't you think, Mr. Thrim?"

"I would say so, Captain."

Lander looked down on Gaiath, as though she didn't believe that it was real. "I got him…I really got him."

"Congratulations, Capt. Lander. May your captain and crewmates from the _Orion_ rest in peace, knowing that their murderer will face justice."

"And Capt. Mayer and the crew of the _Wilson_ as well. Thank you, Ser'rek, thank you." Lander straighten herself into a formal pose. "Capt. Lander to security. There are four Romulan prisoners in transporter room seven. Please secure them. Come, Commander, we need to check on our other prize."

* * *

"How long do we have, Lieutenant?" asked Grant, fearing the answer.

"Less than twenty seconds!" replied O'Hara.

"We need to evacuate."

"No, give me a second," said O'Hara. Grant watched as the Orion woman furiously worked the console. She was no longer disguised as a slave girl, but still did not have the time to change into her Starfleet uniform. Instead she was wearing a spare set of leather clothing from Lt. Rikka's disguise. "Okay, got it!"

"You disabled the self-destruct?" asked Grant.

"Impossible!" shouted the Romulan sub-commander.

"No, I sent an overload into the warp coils," said O'Hara. "The core made automatic adjustments to prevent an accidental breach. I bought us another couple minutes."

"It doesn't matter," said the Romulan woman. "There is no way to stop the core overload. It will breach, taking us all down with it. You're better off preparing for your death."

"For the love God, shut that woman up," said O'Hara.

Grant switched his phaser to stun and shot the Romulan in the chest. She slid to the deck floor. "Need anything else?"

"Another engineer, if you can make one appear."

"I'm here," came a Russian voice from the bridge door.

"Vlad, what are you doing here?" asked O'Hara.

"You need my help."

"If I die here, the _Orion_ will need a chief engineer."

"Then it won't be me."

Grant practically jumped up and down. "Stop arguing, and shut down that warp core before it kills us all!" Grant really hated situations out of his control.

"We can't shut it down," answered O'Hara. "The Sub-Commander was right about that. Romulan warp cores are singularity powered. Once these little black hole engines start, they can never be shut down. But we can figure something out. In the meantime, I'll continue to stall."

"Commander, you need to see this," said one of Grant's men who was watching the helm. Glad to let the engineers do their engineering thing, Grant turned and faced the man who had spoken to him. "Another ship has dropped out of warp, sir."

"Romulan?"

"No, Starfleet. A USS _Enquiry_. Never heard of it before, sir."

"I have!" said Grant with alarm. "Get our shields online."

"Sir?"

"The _Enquiry_ is a hostile."

* * *

"Away team to _Orion_ , the _Enquiry_ is not a Starfleet vessel, but a Section 31 ship. Or so we were told by Capt. Lander."

"Understood, Frank," said Henry. "We will hold them off until the Captain comes back with our stardrive."

"It's not that easy, Commander. We're dealing with a self-destruct over here. The core breach will be enough to destroy us, and cripple the _Orion's_ saucer."

Henry stared at the impossible situation. Flee and sacrifice the warbird and away team to the _Enquiry_ or remain and risk losing the _Orion_ as well. When in doubt trust your crew. "Helm place us between the _Enquiry_ and the warbird. Open a channel." Selina nodded. "USS _Enquiry_ this is the _Orion_ , we have taken this warbird prize. Stand down at once."

* * *

Agent Shepherd heard the _Orion's_ call, but he ignored it. "All weapons target the warbird."

"The _Orion_ is blocking our shot," reported the officer who operated the tactical station.

"Their mistake. Fire four quantum torpedoes. Target their engines."

* * *

"No response, sir," said Selina.

"Let's try again," replied Henry.

"Weapons lock!" shouted Worf "They are firing on us!".

"Power to the shields! Brace for impact!" yelled Henry. The _Orion_ shook violently. "Damage report!"

"Impulse engines are gone, totally decimated," said Ryan.

"How?"

"Those were quantum torpedoes," replied Worf. "They simply overwhelmed our shields. Every hit we take will critically damage this ship."

"The _Enquiry_ is going out the far side of the warbird," reported Selina. "My guess is that they will target it next."

"That ship will not survive even one of the _Enquiry's_ volleys," stated Worf.

"Henry, what's going on?" came Lindsey's voice over the communications system. Henry looked at his console and indeed saw that his captain was returning with the _Orion's_ stardrive.

"Captain, the _Enquiry_ took out our impulse engines. We need you to relink with us or we're sitting ducks."

"On our way."

"Negative, Captain," came Lt. O'Hara's voice from the warbird. "I have a plan."

* * *

"What kind of plan, Alivia?" asked Grant.

"The best one I can come up with, Commander," said Alivia, trying to put as much confidence in her voice as she could. "Vlad, is the integrity field on this thing strong enough to withstand a tractor beam at warp?"

"Ah…" Vlad jumped into the navigator's seat, "yes, I believe so."

"O'Hara to Capt. Lander, we need to get this warbird clear of the _Orion_ before its self-destruct destroys us all. We need you to lock on to us with a tractor beam and tow us out of here."

"Sounds good, ready when you are, Lieutenant."

Alivia looked at Vlad who gave her a nod. "Go now, Captain." The _Orion's_ stardrive did a flyby of the warbird. The warbird lurched as the half ship attempted to lock on to it with a tractor beam. Alivia felt her lunch move about in her stomach.

"They've got us!" celebrated Vlad. " _Orion_ , we're ready for warp."

The warp core reached a critical level again. Alivia sent a power overload through the energy conduits. The warp core safeguards automatically compensated causing the core to cool a bit, but the conduits were burnt out. Alivia was out of tricks.

"Commander, take the captain's chair, and when I tell you to, hit the big red button on that panel."

"Yes, sir," said Lt. Cmdr. Grant, who clearly out ranked her, but submitted given the situation.

The stars streaked as Capt. Lander's half ship pulled them into warp. "Structural integrity is weakening. The tractor beam is too much for it, while we're at warp," said Vlad. "I can't hold it for much longer."

"The _Enquiry_ is pursuing us," reported the security officer at the helm. "They're firing phasers!" Alivia heard a terrible grinding noise from somewhere deep down in the ship. "Hull breaches, multiple, in the aft sections."

"Just a bit further…" Alivia frantically tried to hold back the breaching warp core. "Commander! Now!"

Cmdr. Grant hit the button on the captain's panel firmly. The warp core slid out of its housing and into open space. As it detonated it shook the warbird and broke the tractor beam. The ship fell out of warp and tumbled its way through space. Alivia felt her lunch come up to her throat, but, somehow, she managed to keep it down. Eventually, Vlad and the security officer managed to stop the warbird's tumble with the ship's thrusters.

Alivia saw Grant jump out of the captain's chair and stand over the helm. "Congratulations, Lieutenant, we are dead in space with almost no systems left. But, we're alive."

* * *

"Turn us about! We need to check on the warbird," said Lindsey. Her body was shaking with anxious energy as they pulled up to see a mostly intact warbird.

Raklok spoke, "Lt. Cmdr. Grant reports that both his crew and the computer core of the warbird are safe."

"For now, where is the _Enquiry_?"

"I see it on scanners," said Thrim. "It's is about two hundred thousand kilometers back…It's not moving."

"Bring us into visual range," said Lindsey. Despite her shaking, she managed to stand up. Finally, Thrim gave her a nod. "On screen."

On the viewscreen was the _Enquiry_ , burning from multiple locations. The whole forward-port-side quarter of the ship's saucer was gone. The structural tears and cracks continued along the portside all the way to the nacelle which was free floating a kilometer back. The whole ship was surrounded by its own debris.

"She's destroyed," said Lander, as she sat down in the captain's chair. "Caught in the core explosion." In a daze, she continued to issue orders. "Scan for survivors. They may have been hostile, but they were still Federation citizens. We can't abandon them."

"Scanning," said Raklok. "There are breaches all across the ship; every section, every deck. The few sections that still have atmosphere are on fire. I am not picking up any life signs."

Lindsey looked up at Thrim. "What percentage of that crew was Starfleet?"

"I'd say about thirty-five percent. Many more were recruited when they washed out of the Academy. But they all knew what they were doing, just as I did."

"But you changed your mind. If we could have saved them, they might have too."

Thrim didn't answer.

"Captain," reported Petty Officer Shelton. "We have an incoming hail."

"On screen," Lindsey looked up to see the face of Capt. Picard.

"Capt. Lander, towing an enemy ship that is about to explode, ranks high on my list of gutsy maneuvers; and I have seen a lot of gutsy maneuvers."

"Don't look at me, Captain. It was my crew's idea."

"Sometimes a captain has to take his orders from his crew. I am glad to hear that you have a crew you can trust. Well done, Captain." Picard gave Lindsey a smile that finally allowed her to relax and let go her battle tension.

"Thank you, Captain."

"Speaking of crew, I believe you have half a ship to attend to, Captain. The _Enterprise_ will take care of the _Enquiry_ and its survivors, if we find any. The _Lakota_ will secure the captured warbird. Never fear, I will make sure the _Lakota_ doesn't steal the credit due to you and your crew. You should head back to the _Orion_. I think they want their captain back."

"Yes, sir."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 _Captain's log; stardate 57321.5: With exciting adventures always comes busywork. Ever since we got the_ Orion _back to starbase, I have been buried in repairs, crew performance reports, and my own reports to Capt. Picard. The_ Orion _sustained major damage, most of which was a result of the_ Enquiry's _attack. Once again, I find myself, in charge of a damaged ship._

 _But that is nothing compared to the constant questioning of Starfleet Command and Starfleet Intelligence. They don't know what to do about Section 31. To blow the whistle might destroy people's faith in the Federation. We also have no idea how deep within Starfleet Section 31 goes. A number of my officers have gone to Earth for questioning. As soon as the_ Orion _is secure, it will be my turn to face Starfleet Command. I predict a trip to Earth will be in my near future._

Lindsey stood facing the transporter pad. "Energize." Four silhouettes appeared on the platform and transformed into Thrim, Grant, Rikka, and O'Hara. "Welcome home everyone."

"Home?" asked Ser'rek Thrim as he stepped down from the platform. "I wasn't aware that the _Orion_ was my home."

"It could be, if you wish," said Lindsey. "It may not be the _Woodrow Wilson_ , but maybe you could find your place here."

"If Starfleet allows it," replied the Andorian. "They are not going to press charges against me, but they have not completely let me off the hook for my work with Section 31."

"We will see about that," said Lindsey. "I know an admiral or two at Starfleet Command."

Ser'rek looked about the ship as though evaluating it. "You're right. It's not the _Wilson_. Nor would I want it to be. The _Wilson_ is gone, and it's never coming back. I would be willing to give the _Orion_ a chance to be my new home."

"Glad to hear it, Commander. Meet me in my ready room at 1600 hours." Lindsey turned towards her Chief of Security. "Cmdr. Grant, how was your visit with Starfleet Intelligence?"

"They were very excited to get their hands on a Romulan cloaking device. They also officially sanctioned our operation. So, they will protect us from any accusations of breaking the treaty by our use of a cloaking device. In addition, they tried to recruit us."

"And what did you say to them?" asked Lindsey, a bit nervous.

"I said that I wish to remain on the _Orion_ ," said Grant.

"Lt. Rikka?"

The Bajoran woman shifted uneasily. "I told them I wished to remain on the _Orion_ , but I might consider it in the future."

Lindsey smiled, "I'd love to keep you Lieutenant, but if you desire a career in intelligence work, I wouldn't want to stop you. Think about it."

"Yes, Captain."

Lindsey looked towards the Orion woman. "Lieutenant O'Hara, were you recruited as well?"

"I shot them down right away," said O'Hara without hesitation. "I have no desire to work in intelligence ever again. However, Starfleet Engineering wanted to have me work with them on the warbird, the cloaking device, and other Romulan equipment we acquired."

"And…?"

"I told them, that I am exactly where I want to be."

Lindsey barely held back a sigh of relief. She didn't want to have to hunt down another chief engineer. "Since it seems that everyone is remaining on board, check in with your departments and take the next shift off. I think all of you have been working hard enough these last couple of days. Dismissed."

"Thank you, Captain," said Frank, who then turned to the two ladies. "Orion's Club, say 1700."

"Happy hour, Commander? Count me in," replied Lt. Rikka.

"I'll be there," added Lt. O'Hara. Lindsey did not know what it was all about, but she was glad to see O'Hara finally interacting with the crew. She smiled as the officers left the transporter room.

Ser'rek Thrim remained. "Ensign, show Mr. Thrim the quarters we've set up for him." Lindsey stopped Ser'rek as he was walking out. "Let me know if there is anything you will need."

"I will. Thank you, Captain."

"My pleasure, Commander."

The ensign led Ser'rek down the corridor. Lindsey went the opposite direction, towards the bridge. As soon as the turbo lift doors opened, Lindsey walked on to the bridge with a stride that meant business. "Status reports?"

Lt. Cmdr. Worf reported, "Shields, weapons, and emergency systems are at peak parameters."

Lt. Ryan added, "Warp drive and thrusters are fully functioning. Our rear impulse engine is functioning at its best, but Engineering tells me that our other two engines on the saucer are complete losses. Lt. Kustov recommends that we bring the _Orion_ back to Mars for complete repairs. However, he didn't want to make a final report until Lt. O'Hara looked at things."

"I don't think the Utopia Planitia shipyard will appreciate us returning their ship banged up after only a few months of use. What do you think, Henry?"

"I suppose not," came Henry's answer in a flat voice. Henry would usually humor Lindsey with her simple jokes; even in these past months when he had been somewhat cold to her. But this time he didn't even turn to face Lindsey. This behavior from her one time friend made Lindsey nervous, and she could tell that something was on his mind.

"Mr. Worf, is your captain okay with you still being on the _Orion_?"

"I will be returning to the _Enterprise_ tomorrow."

"The _Orion_ thanks you for your service. I in particular thank you for helping my senior staff while I was away."

"It was an honor to serve with the warriors on board the _Orion_. They live up to their reputation."

"If you wouldn't mind, Mr. Worf, please take the bridge." Worf nodded his head, and Lindsey turned to Henry. "Mr. Hickensen, will you join me in my ready room?"

"Of course, Captain." Henry followed Lindsey to her ready room. As Lindsey sat down, Henry remained standing. "I noticed that Lt. Cmdr. Ser'rek Thrim returned to the _Orion_."

Was this what Henry was disturbed about? "Yes, I decided to house him on the _Orion_ until he is cleared by Starfleet Command and Intelligence. When he is cleared, I plan to make him chief tactical officer and my second officer. He has the experience, and as you noted in our report, we are in desperate need of a tactical officer. He should round off both my primary bridge crew and my senior staff."

"That may not be so," said Henry.

Lindsey looked intently at Henry, "If you have objections to this idea, please let me know. You are my first officer."

"Actually, that is what I wanted to talk to you about," Henry shifted his weight nervously, but still didn't sit down. "Perhaps you should consider Mr. Thrim as your first officer."

"But you are my first officer," replied Lindsey, a bit confused.

Henry stood straight. "Captain, I am requesting transfer."

"What?!" Lindsey stood from her seat. "Transfer to where?"

"Capt. Benteen has offered me the second officer's position on the _Lakota._ "

"Henry, that's a demotion."

"Is it really? Did you think of me as a qualified first officer when you were considering Mr. Worf or Cmdr. Tuvok for the position?"

Lindsey didn't realize that Henry was aware of that. "Taking those officers would have been a concession. I have always wanted you as my first officer. I trust you, Henry. There is no one else I want for my first officer besides you." As Lindsey said the words 'no one else' her mind jumped back to her lonely night on the _Enquiry_. Did she really want Henry with her simply because he was a good first officer, or was there some other reason?

Lindsey dismissed the thought from her mind, and continued her argument. "Plus, all that was before these last couple of weeks. In my absence, you were in command of the _Orion_. And you did a fantastic job. Everyone's doubts about you have been dropped. You have impressed Lt. Cmdr. Worf, Capt. Picard, and Capt. Benteen. In fact, I suspect Benteen is trying to steal you from me."

"And you're trying to keep me away from Benteen. Is this a captains' rivalry?"

"No, that's not it all!" Lindsey said as she leaned forward on her desk in anger. She couldn't understand Henry's behavior. "I am not trying to fight Benteen. I am just trying to convince you not to accept a demotion."

"Capt. Benteen's first officer will soon get his own command. After that I will be in line to replace him, and I will receive the full rank of commander. I just think this is the best move for my career."

"I don't. Eventually you would get the first officer's post and the rank of commander. But here on the _Orion_ you're on the fast track. You are already the first officer. And if you keep impressing Starfleet you will receive the promotion you want so dearly years earlier than if you transfer to the _Lakota_." As Lindsey heard her own words she began to wonder when Henry had become so interested in promotions and accelerating his career. Or was something else bothering Henry?

"Nevertheless, I am still requesting transfer. Will you grant it?"

"No! I will not!" Lindsey circled her desk and stood directly in front of Henry. "Not until I know the real reason for this request. Is it a crew member? Is it Thrim? Is it me?! I will not allow you to leave this room until I know exactly what is going on!"

Henry remained standing formally at attention. "Permission to speak freely, Captain."

"I insist!"

Henry broke his formal stance and looked Lindsey in the eyes, "Permission to speak very freely."

Lindsey's anger yielded to confusion. "Permission granted."

Henry sighed, reached out, held Lindsey by the shoulders, leaned in, and kissed her directly on the lips. Lindsey was so caught off guard that she nearly fell backwards. But then, surprise yielded to pleasure, and she allowed him to continue the kiss. His arm slid to the back of her head, pulling her closer. Lindsey's own arms embraced Henry. It was probably lasted only a second or two, but the kiss felt like an hour. When Henry withdrew, Lindsey's head was spinning "What…What just happened?"

Henry stood back and dropped his eyes. "These last couple months working as your first officer have been increasingly difficult. The longer I served under you the more my feelings for you increased. But none of it was so difficult as when you were missing and possibly dead. I felt almost physically sick at times. I even thought that I may never see you again." Henry looked Lindsey in the eyes. "I can't continue to work underneath you. My feelings will affect my work."

"Henry, what we had back at the Academy wasn't love." Even as she mentioned the childish relationship she'd previously had with Henry, Lindsey realized that not once had Henry ever kissed her like he had just a moment ago.

"I know it wasn't. That's why it didn't last. But this is different. I didn't notice it, but it began when I saw you take command of the old _Orion_. And there was that week we spent in Utah. There was no temptation for juvenile fun, but simply a deep desire to spend more time with you.

"Then you became a Starfleet captain, and I just tried to put it all away. But I couldn't, not as long as you were there, every single day. And with you as my superior officer there was nothing I could do. And then you were gone, and I didn't know if I would ever see you again. I almost couldn't handle it. Lindsey, I'm falling in love with you."

"I had no idea. I mean, I knew something wasn't right between us, but I didn't know it was…"

"You were running a starship. I think your mind was occupied. Besides, now that I know the feelings are not mutual, I have to insist even more on transfer."

Lindsey shrank back and sat on her desk. Her loneliness on the _Enquiry_ returned to her. "That's not true."

"What's not true?"

"You're the one who held me together when I took command of the old _Orion_. That experience bonded us. It was something deeper than anything we had back at the Academy. I noticed it in Utah. The thought of pursuing us again came to mind. But I thought it was prudent to wait and see what our assignments were.

"Then Janeway made me a captain. Since taking over the _Orion_ , my greatest regret has been that we've drifted apart. Addressing each other by rank and last name, maintaining professional distance. What we had was fading. The reality is that the captain's chair is the loneliest place in Starfleet."

Lindsey bowed her head. "But I didn't even know the full extent my feelings until I was on the _Enquiry_. I was alone on ship full of dangerous liars. That loneliness was the most terrible feeling I have ever experienced." Lindsey raised her eyes to Henry. "But of all the people I missed, it was you I wanted with me, no one else. Not Frank, not Chef, not Selina, Johnathan, or Ryan. And I didn't want Lieutenant Commander Hickensen. I wanted you, Henry! And I still do. I don't want you to leave. Maybe that's selfish of me, but it's true."

For a long moment Lindsey and Henry stood there awkwardly. What were they to do in this situation? Prudential judgement said that a relationship between a captain and her first officer was a bad idea, and Starfleet regulations expressly forbid it. Do they just forget it and go their separate ways, like they did upon graduation from the Academy?

Henry was the first to speak, "If I leave, I won't be your subordinate anymore."

"But you will still be a lower rank. By the time you reach commander, I will most likely be a full captain. Also, the _Lakota_ and the _Orion_ might have entirely different assignments. We might not only be on different ships, we could be in different sectors." Lindsey looked Henry in the eye. "If you transfer, it will likely be 'good bye'. It's just as you said, the only thing worse than serving together while not being together, is being utterly separated. I need you, Henry."

"Need me? As your first officer?"

"No," Lindsey stood back up and faced Henry. "Thrim could fill that spot. Or I could find someone else. Starfleet is big, and there are many officers that can fill the _Orion's_ needs. But what I need is you. And I think that would be true even if I wasn't a captain." Lindsey put her arms on Henry's broad shoulders. "I want you here with me."

Lindsey then stood on her tip toes and meet Henry halfway for a long, slow kiss. For a long couple of seconds, they held each other, lips locked. When they finally broke, Lindsey sat back down on her desk and Henry bowed his head. Both were silent for a long time.

Finally, Henry, without lifting his head, spoke. "What do we do? Stay together and pretend like none of this happened?"

"No, we can't do that anymore. It will break us," answered Lindsey, also without lifting her head.

"Then I need to transfer."

"I don't want you to go, Henry."

"So, you wouldn't grant the transfer?"

Lindsey sighed. "We depart for Mars in two days for repairs, and the _Lakota_ will be here for those two days as well." Lindsey stood before Henry, "I am tied to the _Orion_ , I can't leave. The decision is yours. If, after two days, you request transfer, I'll grant it. But if you don't, then we find a way for us to work."

"If we're together. Even if we restrict ourselves, and set boundaries to our relationship; we'd be breaking the spirit, if not the letter, of Starfleet regulations." Henry put emphasis in his words. "A captain cannot fraternize with her sub-ordinates. If Starfleet Command finds out, you could lose your command of the _Orion._ "

"I know," said Lindsey with a calmness that surprised even her. "But I am willing to risk it."

Henry stood still in thought. "Two days?" He continued standing there for another long second and then straighten in a formal stance, "Two days. Thank you, Captain. Permission to return to duty."

"Permission granted, Commander. Dismissed," said Lindsey in a subdued voice. Henry then did an about face and walked out of her ready room.

Lindsey sat back down on her desk, then allowed herself to slide down the front of the desk and sit on the floor. Her mind was completely flooded, and her heart was pounding. The only consistent thought in her mind was that she didn't want to lose Henry.

* * *

Alivia set her data pad down with a thud and a sense of accomplishment. "That's all for today. We can finish the last reports tomorrow. Then we can submit them all to the Captain. Lt. Kustov, you have taken good care of the _Orion_ while I was away."

"Just doing my duty, sir," said the Russian engineer.

"And you do it well. I am going to miss you when you're gone." And Alivia meant it. She discovered that her earlier fears of Kustov being her rival on the _Orion_ were unmerited. Kustov loved his work, and the engineers loved him; but in no way did he disrupt Alivia's authority. "Did _Deep Space Nine_ ever get back to you?"

"I decided to stop waiting," said Kustov. "A better opportunity has arisen."

"Oh?"

"Capt. Benteen is looking for some new engineers with experience on older Starfleet vessels. I submitted my resume, and her chief engineer has signed off on me. I expect to be transferred there soon."

"The _Lakota_! An old _Excelsior_ class ship. Are you ready for that?"

"Oh, yes," said Kustov. "It will be even better than the original _Orion_. They knew how to build a starship back then. Will all her upgrades the _Lakota_ is a wonderful mess. I can't wait to get my hands on her, and have her singing like the beautiful old bird she is."

"Lt. Kustov, you sound like a chief engineer. Look me in the eyes and tell me that the idea of having your own ship to mend and hone doesn't appeal to you."

Kustov shrugged. "Maybe. It might just be worth the administrative nightmares."

"Careful, Vlad. You might just get accidently promoted." Kustov raised his eyebrows at Alivia's used of his first name. Alivia was a bit surprised herself, but somehow it felt appropriate. "Either way, you will be missed on the _Orion._ "

"I leave her in your capable hands, Lieutenant."

Alivia looked at her clock in her office. "The Captain's given me a short shift. I think I will call it an evening."

"Have somewhere to be, Lieutenant?"

"Nothing big," said Alivia, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I made an agreement with the away team that I would join them for a toast."

The corners of Vlad's mouth curled up in a smile. "Make sure you find some enjoyment in it, Lieutenant."

"I'll try my best." Both Alivia and Vlad left the chief engineer's office and went their separate ways. Alivia took a turbo lift up to one of the decks in the saucer section and made her way to the starboard side of the ship.

When she arrived at her destination, Alivia took a deep breath outside the door. She stepped forward and the double doors slid open. Inside was a large softly lit room. Gentle background music filled the air. On her left was a large bar table. Patrons sat there and ordered their drinks. On the right welcoming O'Hara into the establishment was a statue of a tall, mythical man in the attire of a Greek hero. It was Orion himself, the man of ancient Earth myth, posing in the same manner as his namesake constellation when viewed from Earth. In his right hand, raised above his head, was his great bronze club as the ancient poets described; and on his left arm was a mighty shield. It was from this mascot that the ship's off duty lounge got its name, Orion's Club _._ It was cheesy, but in the seriousness of space exploration, a bad pun was sometimes appreciated.

"Lt. O'Hara, over here." Alivia saw Lt. Rikka waving at her from a booth. Lt. Cmdr. Grant was already there. Alivia made her way to the booth. "Glad to see we finally got you to come to Orion's Club," said Rikka.

"I guess I couldn't avoid this place forever," answered Alivia as Rikka made room for her in the booth, seated across from Grant.

"What kind of stereotypical Irish lass are you, if you don't frequent the local pub?" asked Grant.

"First of all, I am an Irish lady, not a Scottish lass," said Alivia. Then she indicated her green skin, "Secondly, I am obviously not a stereotypical Irish lady, Cmdr. Grant."

"However, I bet that you have a taste for good whiskey." Grant pulled a bottle from his side and three glasses. "I've been saving this for the right moment. Kentucky bourbon, the finest you will find." Grant poured three glasses and slid two of them to the ladies. He raised his glass. "A toast: The three of us went undercover despite having no intelligence training whatsoever, and our chief engineer managed to stop an enemy ship from blowing up while we were on board. To a difficult job well done."

"Cheers," said Alivia as she clinked her glass against Grant's and Rikka's. She brought the glass to her lips, gave it a swirl and a sniff, and took a sip. She savored the flavor for a moment before swallowing. Rikka on the other hand sniffed it suspiciously before taking a bit too generous of a sip. She coughed a bit before recovering.

"Well, what do you think?" asked Grant.

"Delightful," answered Rikka. "Do this have synthehol?"

"On no," said Grant. "This is authentic Kentucky bourbon, with real alcohol. So be careful how much you drink. O'Hara, I am rather interested in the opinion of a lady of Ireland."

Alivia, took another sip. "Quite nice. However, I would prefer a good Irish whiskey."

"Oh, I don't think so. That stuff from across the pond is better in your imagination than in reality," said Grant. "Don't get me wrong, it's good. But no one makes it better than the distillers in Kentucky."

"Perhaps we should try them side by side. Next time I'm on Earth, I'll pick up a bottle from Ireland. Then we can have Rikka cast the deciding vote."

"Do you really think I will notice the difference between two beverages from the same planet?" asked Rikka. "You want a comparison? I'll bring a liquor from Bajor. Then we can have a taste off."

Alivia found herself laughing. "It's a deal. Ireland vs. Kentucky vs. Bajor." She still wasn't sure if this was appropriate behavior for a senior officer, but she decided that she was going to enjoy it. And it was enjoyable. The trio continued their visiting for the next hour, at the end of which Rikka stood up.

"I'm calling it a night."

"Already?" asked Grant.

"You forget, Bajor has a twenty-six hour day. I lose two hours of sleep every night on Earth time. Thus, I like to check in early. Good night, you two." Alivia thought she saw Rikka give Grant a sly smile as she left, but Alivia didn't know what it meant.

"I suppose I should call it a night, as well," Alivia started to get up. "Vlad and I still have a whole list of things to look at before submitting final reports."

"I can't tempt you with another glass?" Grant held up the bottle. "Despite your objections, I think you liked it. Besides, it might be good for you. After all, having just one seems to have loosen your tongue, just a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"You just called Lt. Kustov by his first name. That is the first time I heard you call any crew member by anything other than rank and last name."

"I guess I did," said Alivia as she slid back into her seat. "But don't think that a second drink will make me take my clothes off."

Grant laughed as he poured a second glass of bourbon. "Not my intention, Lieutenant. Besides, I've already seen that." Alivia took the glass from Grant. "I would, however, like to get to know you better, Miss. O'Hara."

Alivia stopped with her drink halfway to her mouth. "What do you mean?"

"I suppose I'm the one who should be careful when I've had a drink," said Grant. Then he took a more serious tone. "When you first came on board this ship, I found you to be…attractive."

"Because I am an Orion?"

"No," said Grant. "I mean you are a beautiful lady, but it's more than that. I could tell there was much more to you than the eye beheld. I want you to know that I enjoyed no part of our undercover 'relationship.' In fact, I feared that being with you in that way would forever change the way I look at you. And I have to admit, that image is a hard one to clear from my head."

"When you look at me, you see a slave girl," Alivia lowered her head and starred at her drink.

"Sometimes, but not always," said Grant. "When I watched you working on that Romulan warbird, I saw the real you: smart, quick thinking, resourceful, driven, not self-conscious, cool under pressure, and bold. That's the Alivia O'Hara I want to know; not some fantasy of a slave girl."

Alivia recalled Rikka's suspicious exit. "Is this supposed to be some sort of date? You ask me to come as a trio of coworkers, then Rikka conveniently ducks out."

"No, no, no" answered Grant very quickly. "Not at all. If there is any such scheming it is purely on Rikka's part; although, I would not put it past her. I don't intend this as a date. Although not forbidden since we work in different departments, anything more than a professional relationship and a mere friendship is discouraged by Starfleet. So, dating might not be prudent…at the time being."

"At the time being?" asked Alivia. "What do you mean by that?"

"You and I are only one rank apart: I a lieutenant commander; you a lieutenant senior grade. But you have had your rank for a while now, and you are the chief engineer of a _Galaxy_ class starship. That is a lieutenant commander's post. As long as you keep impressing the captain and Starfleet, you will have that promotion in no time. Then we will be free to date…or not to date."

"Now I'm really confused," said Alivia. "Are you asking me out on a date in anticipation of a future promotion?"

"I'm not really sure what I'm doing," said Grant clearly flustered. Alivia was surprise to realize that Grant was nervous. Here was a man who had bravely fought off a boarding party of armed Romulans and coolly negotiated a cloaking device away from a Romulan sub-commander, yet he was having trouble talking to a girl! And that girl was Alivia! Despite herself, Alivia found it faltering.

Alivia also found the nervousness of the usually confident and strong security man to be endearing. It was as if Alivia was now seeing Grant though through a new lens. She had always seen Grant as a dignified and capable officer worthy of respect. But now she also saw him as a man who was smart, honest, loyal, and not at all unattractive. It was at that point that Alivia realized her heart was beating faster.

As Alivia tried to calm herself, Grant seemed to have regained his confidence. "I may not know what I am doing, but I do know that I want to know you better. Does that mean we will end up dating in the future or just becoming good friends? I'm not sure. But I want to find out."

During the awkward pause that follow Alivia recovered herself and took a silent sip of bourbon. Grant became nervous again and finally spoke, "Well…Say something, please."

Alivia set her drink down and looked Grant in the eye, "I don't know. I am not sure I could do it." Grant's face fell in disappointment, but Alivia keep her serious gaze on him. "Because when I look at you all I can see is 'Captain Axeman,' the dashing, rough 'n' tough, yet very handsome space pirate."

Grant's expression became perplexed, but Alivia smiled as she took another sip of bourbon. Then Grant began to chuckle. Alivia also allowed a laugh to escape. Soon both of them were laughing out loud.

Finally, Alivia spoke. "Mr. Grant, I would like to get to know you better as well."

"In that case, you can call me Frank. All my other friends do," said Grant with much relief.

"Why Frank?"

"Abbreviation of my middle name, Francis. It's easier to say than Ulysses."

"Frank," said Alivia. The use of the nick name felt good; it was more familiar and friendlier. "Then I guess you can call me Alivia. But only off duty," Alivia added quickly.

"Of course…Alivia." Frank said her name slowly and deliberately, and Alivia liked the sound of it coming off his lips.

"To whatever comes next," said Alivia as she raised her glass.

"To whatever comes next," replied Frank. The two of them clinked their glasses and drained their drinks.

* * *

Henry walked about the ship in a daze for the whole rest of the day. That night he found no sleep. He tossed and turned all night long, agonizing over the decision that lay in front of him.

Lindsey was right. If he left it would be good bye. They would certainly see each other again, but they would never be together. Conventional wisdom told him that was fine. Platitudes like 'there are other fish in the sea' went through his mind, but brought him no comfort. Part of him had wished that Lindsey had felt nothing for him, but to have her practically beg him to stay made the prospect of leaving all the more painful.

On the other hand, could he really stay? Staying and starting a 'together but not dating' relationship with Lindsey was more than bending the rules. Could he be responsible for Lindsey losing her chance at a permanent captaincy? Without that fourth pip on her collar, Lindsey had no protection if Starfleet decided to take the _Orion_ away from her. And if that happened she may never become a captain. She was the one taking the greater risk, yet she was putting the burden of decision on him.

The next day, Henry reported for his duties a half hour before his shift. With a thermos full of raktajino, Henry relieved Lt. Selina Chaput who was on the night shift. Henry only drank the Klingon coffee when he was truly weary. He watched the bridge for three hours before Lindsey arrived. When Henry saw her, he felt the weight of decision crushing upon his shoulders.

"Commander, anything to report?"

"No, Captain, nothing." Henry wondered if Lindsey could see the weariness on his face.

"Commander, our guest, Mr. Worf, is getting ready to depart for the _Enterprise_. Since you worked closely with him, I think it would be appropriate for you to see him out. I can take the bridge while you are away."

"It would be an honor."

"An honor?" asked Lindsey. "I think you've been around that Klingon too long."

Despite his sour mood Henry found a smile forming on his face. Lindsey too was smiling, and looking very beautiful doing it. Henry's decision returned like a hundred-pound weigh on his mind. "Computer, where is Lt. Cmdr. Worf."

"Lt. Cmdr. Worf is in the mess hall," answered the computer. Henry nodded to Lindsey and entered the turbo lift. When he arrived at the mess hall he found Worf finishing his breakfast.

"Gagh for breakfast? Is that normal for a Klingon?"

"It is not unheard of, Commander." said Worf as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "But I am not likely to get such good Klingon cuisine once I return to the _Enterprise_. Please give my compliments to your chef."

"I will do that," replied Henry. "Capt. Lander has asked me to escort you back to the _Enterprise_."

"She informed me earlier," said Worf as he stood up from his empty plate. "It has been an honor serving on the _Orion_ , but I am eager to return to my ship."

"Understood, Commander. Follow me." Worf picked up his bag and followed Henry. Henry pointed to the Klingon blade attached to Worf's bag. "Sorry you didn't get to use your mek'leth on this assignment."

"I was able to use the _Orion's_ weapons. That would satisfy any warrior." Worf looked around. "You have a good ship, Commander. It reminds me of the _Enterprise-D_."

"Yes, she is a good ship." The idea of leaving the _Orion_ made Henry sick to the stomach. The idea of leaving its captain was even worse.

The two officers arrived at the transporter room. "Ensign, is the _Enterprise_ ready?"

"Yes, sir," answered the young transporter operator. "The _Enterprise_ is awaiting their first officer."

"Good. Lt. Cmdr. Worf, it has been an honor working with you."

"The honor is mine, Lt. Cmdr. Hickensen," replied the Klingon.

A suddenly thought entered Henry's mind. "Ensign, leave the transporter room."

"Sir?" asked the young officer, but he left when Henry gave him a commanding glare.

Worf also seemed confused. "Is there something else, Commander?"

"Please forgive the personal question, Mr. Worf, but I have to ask. Do you have any regrets…I mean when it came to your wife; do you have any regrets?"

Worf's face revealed a long-held anger. "I regret that I was not there to protect her when she was taken from me."

"I'm sorry," said Henry hastily. "That's not what I meant. With all the consequences: the damage to you career and the pain of losing her; do you regret marrying her? Would it not have been better not to even know her?"

The anger in Worf's face was replaced with a grim seriousness. "I regret nothing about my marriage to Jadzia. Even knowing what was to come I would still marry her again. Having her for even so little a time was worth all the pain." Worf gave Henry a knowing look. "Tread carefully, Commander."

"I intend to. Thank you, Mr. Worf. You have been a great help to both the _Orion_ and to me personally." Henry stood behind the transporter console. "Ready?"

Worf nodded, "Energize." Henry worked the controls and the transporter beam took Worf away. Henry saw the confirmation from the _Enterprise_ appear on the screen.

Henry laughed a bit to himself. "Taking love advice from a Klingon. I didn't see that coming." The weight on Henry's mind was gone. His decision was made. He walked out of the transporter room at brisk walk. "Ensign, return to your post," he said to the transporter officer as he turned a corner and headed to the bridge.

When he arrived, he walked right up to the captain's chair. Lindsey turned towards him. "Was Cmdr. Worf pleased to return to his ship?"

"Yes, Captain," reported Henry. While maintaining his formal pose, Henry added, "May I speak with you, Captain?"

Lindsey's eyes grew wide with trepidation. She clearly realized that Henry had made his decision, but was not yet sure what it was. "Mr. Mikkelson, you have the bridge. My ready room, Commander."

Henry allowed Lindsey to walk before him, leading him into her ready room. Unlike normal Lindsey did not go to her desk chair, but rather turned around in the center of the room "Henry, you have another day."

"I don't need another day. I know what I need to do."

Lindsey looked down to the floor. "You're leaving."

Henry walked up to Lindsey, and with his hand lifted her chin. "No, Lindsey. Leaving you would be the biggest mistake of my life."

Lindsey threw her arms around him and kissed him right on the lips. Henry returned the kiss, and the two of them continue to kiss each other in a romantic embrace right there in the captain's ready room.

Finally, Lindsey broke the moment. "If we're going to do this, we need ground rules; rules that will prevent us from going too far."

"Okay," said Henry. "Like what?"

"First, we can't do that again," said Lindsey. "At least not here. And not any place where the crew might see us. We can't just be discreet like Johnathan and Selina. We need to be secret. No affectionate smiles, no little flirts."

"In other words, we're courting but not dating."

"Something like that," answered Lindsey. "Maybe we can set up some sort of time and place to safely express our feelings; something that wouldn't be out of the norm for a captain and her first officer; like a weekly dinner or something like that."

"Ah, this is going to be awful," groaned Henry. "But if this is real, then it will be worth it."

"That's one way of putting it," said Lindsey.

"One condition," said Henry.

"What's that?" asked Lindsey.

"We start two minutes from now." Then Henry leaned down and gave her another long kiss. When the two of them emerged from the ready room they appeared simply as a captain and her first officer.

* * *

Lindsey noted that the _Orion's_ conference room had never had so many high ranking officers in it before. Lindsey was sitting at the head of the table, as was her prerogative as ship's captain. To her right was Henry, as her first officer. After him was Capt. Benteen of the _Lakota_ and her first officer. To Lindsey's left was Capt. Picard and Lt. Cmdr. Worf from the _Enterprise_. Lindsey was just finishing her report on the _Orion._

"So, at 1300 hours, the _Orion_ will depart for the Sol System and the Mars shipyards for repair. The current estimate is that we will be in space dock for six days."

"A nice little chunk of leave for you," said Benteen.

"For my crew maybe, but not for me," said Lindsey. "I expect to spend all six days at Starfleet Headquarters. They are not yet done questioning me."

"I don't envy you," said Benteen. "The _Lakota_ will be taking your place patrolling the neutral zone. We depart at 1700 hours."

"And the _Enterprise_ ," reported Picard. "Will be escorting you back to Mars and Earth. I too have some questions to answer as your supervising captain. Unfortunately, this will be the last time I will have that pleasure."

Lindsey looked at Capt. Picard, "You will no longer be my supervisor?"

"The _Enterprise_ is being reassigned. I just got the orders today. More details await me at Starfleet Headquarters." Picard looked Lindsey in the eye. "It has been a pleasure working with you, Capt. Lander. I want you to know that I have every confidence that you will make a fine captain. Continue working hard for your ship and crew, and you will do well."

"Thank you, Captain," said Lindsey with full sincerity. "If I may ask, who will be my new supervisor?"

"She's right here with us," said Picard as he indicated the woman across from him.

"Capt. Benteen?" said Lindsey with surprise.

The female captain smiled. "I just found out today. After the _Orion's_ repairs are complete, she is to rendezvous with the _Lakota_ on the border of the Neutral Zone. Then both ships will continue our patrolling."

"Oh," said Lindsey with a dejected voice.

"Were you hoping for a different supervisor?" asked Benteen.

"Oh no! It's not that!" said Lindsey quickly. "I was just hoping that I could convince Starfleet to pull the _Orion_ off the Neutral Zone."

"Make no mistake, Captain," spoke Picard. "The _Orion's_ presence on the Neutral Zone is a message to Romulans that Starfleet is resilient."

"I just wish that message didn't always involve putting my crew in harm's way."

"Some advice, Captain," offered Picard. "Take the assignment without objection. After another couple of months, begin gently requesting reassignment for the sake of the crew. The _Orion_ will eventually be rotated off this duty."

"Sound advice, Captain."

"I think it's time we all get back to our ships," said Picard. "If we are to leave on schedule."

"Then I call this meeting adjourned," said Lindsey as she stood up. "Capt. Benteen, would you indulge me for a brief private meeting." Benteen nodded affirmatively. "Good. Mr. Hickensen, would you kindly escort Capt. Picard and Cmdr. Worf."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Henry, Picard, Worf, and Benteen's first officer left the room. Benteen herself sat back down. "What can I do for you, Captain?"

"If we're going to be working together, I think there is a little matter we should put behind us."

"I assume you are referring to my attempts to steal your first officer," said Benteen. "I hope you can forgive me, but when I saw him command the _Orion_ in battle, I knew that I at least had to try. I was shocked when he actually gave it serious consideration."

"So was I," said Lindsey. "But I convinced him that it was a bad career decision. But I want you to know that I do not blame you for your attempt. While trying to fill my own senior staff, I discovered how brutal the world of a young Starfleet captain can be. Especially given my unusual circumstances."

"I remember that," said Benteen with sincerity. "If you recall, the circumstances of my ascension to the captain's chair were also unusual. There were some serious trust issues my first year or two." Lindsey recalled that Benteen had become captain of the _Lakota_ when Admiral Leyton attempted to orchestrate a Starfleet military coup of the Federation _._ Benteen smiled, "I think this partnership will be a new adventure for the both of us."

"I am looking forward to it, Captain," answered Lindsey.

* * *

After Capt. Benteen had returned to her ship, Lindsey returned to her quarters hoping to get a quick rest before overseeing the _Orion's_ return voyage to Mars. The doors to her quarters opened and her lights came on automatically. She set a data pad on her coffee table, stretched her arms in a massive yawn, and sat down on her couch.

"Things seem to be going quite well for you, Captain."

Lindsey bolted upright. Sitting in the corner of her quarters was a Vulcan woman in an all black leather uniform. "Ta'Prim!" Without missing beat Lindsey tapped her combadge. "Lander to security, intruder alert in the Captain's quarters."

Ta'Prim revealed a triquarter she had concealed next to her. "A dampening field, they cannot hear you."

"Are you here to kill me?" asked Lindsey.

"Not at all, Captain," said the Vulcan woman. "We at Section 31 do not make a habit of eliminating our potential assets."

"I will never work for Section 31 again."

"Never, Captain." Ta'Prim raised her eyebrow. "Humans always illogically attempt to predict the future. Is it not possible that one day our objectives might coincide?"

"Our objectives, maybe. Our means, never. I will not violate the Federation's principles." Lindsey walked slowly towards the table at the end of her couch. "Where's Shepherd?"

"Dead. He died when the Romulan warp core destroyed the _Enquiry_."

Lindsey turned her torso to face Ta'Prim, but kept the end table near her right hand. "You expect me to believe that?"

"What you believe or don't believe troubles me not," answered Ta'Prim.

Lindsey opened the drawer on the end table and reached in quickly. But she paused when she felt nothing in the drawer.

"Captain," said Ta'Prim in a disappointed voice. "A simple triquarter scan revealed the location of your hidden weapon." Ta'Prim pulled a phaser from behind her and set it on the table next to her.

Lindsey, disappointed in her failed attempt, sat down right on the end table itself. "You still haven't explained what you are doing on my ship," said Lindsey in a threatening voice, although she was no longer in a position to threaten.

"My team is here to cleanse the _Orion's_ records of Section 31. Not an easy job to be sure. I am here to convince you not to expose Section 31 anymore than you already have."

"I'm sorry, I can't oblige," responded Lindsey.

"You will tell Starfleet Command, no doubt," said Ta'Prim. "But publicizing the matter would be detrimental to both our objectives."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to this logic."

Ta'Prim showed no sign of annoyance at Lindsey's insults. "You spoke of violating the Federation's core principles. If you expose Section 31, you will do just that. If it is revealed that the Federation has such a shadow organization, then the Federation will lose its ethical integrity. Soon its lofty ideals will corrode and give way. Then the Federation will be just another interstellar organization like the Klingon Empire, the Ferengi Alliance, the Orion Sydicate, or the Romulan Star Empire; not the enlightenment of the Alpha Quadrant. Is that what you want? It certainly is not the goal of Section 31."

"That is some bold reasoning," said Lindsey. "I didn't think that Vulcans were so prone to drinking the cult Kool-Aid." Once again, the Vulcan woman was unaffected by Lindsey's insults. The worse part was that Ta'Prim had a point.

"It is logical."

"Don't talk to me about logic!" Lindsey stood and raised her voice. "Section 31 is illogical! You cannot protect the Federation by violating its most core principles."

"It depends on which logic you follow," answered Ta'Prim.

"A Vulcan who uses ends to justify means is a very dangerous person,"

"The galaxy is a dangerous place," stated Ta'Prim in a level voice even as she rose from her chair. "It is full of many dangers, any one of which could destroy the Federation. Someone has to protect it."

"That job belongs to Starfleet," said Lindsey.

"Starfleet is insufficient," said Ta'Prim. "Because of your actions, we have lost a valuable opportunity to end the Romulan threat."

"By preventing a war? I can live with that," said Lindsey. "If peace is a possible outcome, is it not logical to pursue it?"

Ta'Prim paused before answering. "Maybe peace with Romulus is a possibly, however remote. But if it is not the Romulans, then maybe it will be the Klingons who threaten us next. Or the Breen, or a revived Dominion. Or maybe the Borg." Lindsey wasn't sure, but she thought she had heard an emotional reaction in Ta'Prim's voice as she said the word 'Borg.' However, Lindsey must have been wrong, because Ta'Prim continued. "Someday the Federation will meet an enemy that cannot be defeated by Starfleet's principles."

"Even if what you say is true, there must be some ethic that can't be broken," said Lindsey. "Some line that can't be crossed. Section 31 crossed that line when it tried to start a war."

"A war that we would win," replied Ta'Prim. "I do not foresee us resolving this debate. Let us at least agree on the issue at hand. Will you expose Section 31 or not?"

"I will not be responsible for your secret, Ta'Prim. I will give a full report to Starfleet Command and whoever in the Federation askes for one," Lindsey then gave a sigh of resignation. "But I will not deliberately expose your secret to the world. I will not broadcast Section 31's existence over subspace stations for the whole quadrant to hear."

"That will be sufficient, Captain. Now, I will take my leave." Ta'Prim reached for her combadge, but Lindsey raised her hand to stall her.

"Section 31 made an error this time. If they can err once, they can do so again. Logically, it is even a likely possibility. What mistake will it be next time? Will it result in the discrediting of the Federation, or in an unintended war? Ta'Prim, Section 31 is illogical, and it doesn't suit you. Get out while you can."

Ta'Prim paused for a long interval. "Your logic is…curious. I will give it more thought." She then tapped her combadge, and some transporter somewhere beamed her out, straight through the _Orion's_ shields, and she was gone. Lindsey sat down on the couch, mentally exhausted, but unfortunately fully awake.

* * *

"Capt. Lander, your presence is requested on the bridge."

Lindsey rose from her couch. "I'm on my way." She apparently was sleepier than she thought. Lindsey checked the time on her chronometer, and realized that she had taken an unintended, hour-long nap. She wondered briefly as she walked to the bridge whether her conversation with Ta'Prim was real or a dream. She concluded it was very real.

When Lindsey arrived on the bridge she was greeted by Henry, who gave her a casual smile. "Did you fall asleep, Captain?"

"In fact, I did. A lot has happened in the last month. I guess my body needed to catch up."

"One thing that hasn't happened is your checkup with Dr. Randel," said Henry.

"I am not due for a routine physical for another four weeks."

"I think spending three weeks with an insane, warmongering, Federation secret society might merit an early appointment. If not with Dr. Randel, perhaps with a counselor. It could be right now. I can handle the _Orion_."

"Always looking out for my health," said Lindsey.

"It's my job," replied Henry. Lindsey was immensely relieved that she and Henry had rediscovered their playful banter. Perhaps, this new relationship with Henry would work after all.

"Speaking of your job…" said Lindsey as she sat in her captain's chair.

"Of course, Captain. All systems on the _Orion_ , minus two engines, are fit for travel. The ship is ready and at your command."

"Mr. Mikkelson, lay in a course for sector 001, the fourth planet, Mars."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Johnathan. "Course laid in."

"Mr. Ryan, prepare to go to warp, factor 6."

Ryan acknowledge the order. Lindsey looked over at Henry as he stared at the viewscreen. Suddenly Lindsey's mind flashed back to the day when Henry had first come on board the old _Orion_ ; and the two of them, mere lieutenants, stood together watching Capt. Taylor take the ship on its ill-fated voyage. Did he even suspect what was about to happen? The danger, the death, the grief, the responsibility, and the sudden strong bond that would form between them?

But just like that day, only four months ago, Henry stood implacably at his station, giving no hint at his thoughts. As Lindsey continue to look at him, she realized that even though the _Orion's_ course was pointed back home, she was embarking on a voyage into uncharted territory.

Lindsey turned and faced forward. "Mr. Ryan, engage."

* * *

Next read the sequel now available on FanFiction.

 _Star Trek: Orion III, Resistance_

When Captain Lindsey Lander requested that the _Orion_ be pulled off Neutral Zone duty, a trip deep into Romulan territory was not what she had in mind. But when a distress call from Romulus claims that the Borg have invaded their territory, Starfleet sends the _Orion_ as part of a small fleet of starships under the command of the one Starfleet officer best equipped for the task: Admiral Kathryn Janeway.

Featuring Kathryn Janeway and Seven of Nine.


End file.
